Srom  f^e  feifirarg  of 

(pxofcBBOx  T3?ifftam  ^cnx^  &xun 

(Jgequeat^e^  61^  ^im  to 
f^e  feifiratt?  of 

Qhtincefon  C^eofogtcaf  ^eminarg 


V 


ou^W   <^^n  o 


NEW  TRANSLATION 


OF 


JOB,    ECCLESIASTES, 


AND 


THE  CANTICLES, 


mTRODUCTIONS,     AND    NOTES,     CHIEFLY 
EXPLANATORY. 


By    GEORGE    R.    NOYES,   D.D., 

HANCOCK    PROFESSOE    OF    HEBREW,    ETC.,    AND   DEXTER    LECTURER 
IN    HARVARD    UNIVERSITY. 


FOURTH    EDITION, 


BOSTON: 

AMERICAN  UNITARIAN  ASSOCIATION. 

1868. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congrees,  in  the  year  1867,  by 

THE   AMERICAN   UNITARIAN  ASSOCIATION, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Msissachusetta. 


CAMBRIDGE  : 
PKESS  OF  JOHN  WILSON  AND   SON. 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

Introduction  to  Job 3 

Job 37 

Introduction  to  Ecclesiastes 103 

ecclesiastes 125 

Introduction  to  the  Canticles 141 

The  Song  of  Songs  {i.  q.  The  Canticles)      .    .    .     .  171 

Notes  on  Job 185 

Notes  on  Ecclesiastes 283 

Notes  on  the  Canticles 329 


THE   BOOK   OF   JOB. 


INTEODUCTION   TO   JOB. 


The  work,  which  it  is  the  design  of  the  present  volume  to  illus- 
trate, is  in  many  respects  one  of  the  most  remarkable  productions 
of  any  age  or  country.  It  is,  without  doubt,  in  its  general  plan, 
as  well  as  in  the  rhythmical  construction  and  high  poetic  character 
of  its  language,  the  elaborate  work  of  a  skilful  artist.  Deep 
thought  and  long-continued  study  must  have  been  united  with 
genius  in  its  production.  Yet  has  it,  in  a  much  higher  degree  than 
most  compositions^  the  freshness  of  an  unstudied  effusion  of  the 
soul  of  the  author ;  a  soul  full  of  the  sublimest  conceptions  of 
the  Parent  of  nature  and  his  glorious  works,  and  of  true  and  deep 
sympathy  with  all  that  is  great  and  amiable  in  the  character,  and 
affecting  in  the  condition,  of  man.  The  imagination  of  the  author 
seems  to  have  ranged  freely  through  every  part  of  the  universe, 
and  to  have  enriched  itself  from  almost  every  department  of  na- 
ture and  of  art,  "Whether  he  attempt  to  describe  the  residence 
of  Him  "who  maintaineth  peace  in  his  high  places,"  or  "the 
land  of  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death ;  "  the  passions  and  pur- 
suits of  man,  or  the  nature  and  features  of  the  animal  creation ; 
the  phenomena  of  the  air  and  the  heavens,  or  the  dark  operations 
of  the  miner,  —  he  is  ever  familiar  with  his  subject,  and  seems  to 
tell  us  what  his  eyes  have  seen  and  his  ears  have  heard.  And  not 
more  remarkable  are  the  richness  and  vigor  of  his  imagination 
than  his  power  in  representing  the  deep  emotions  and  the  tender 
affections  of  the  soul.  Admirable,  too,  in  a  poem  of  so  high  anti- 
quity, is  the  skill  with  which  he  makes  all  the  delineations  of  the 
human  heart,  and  all  the  descriptions  of  external  nature,  subservi- 

[3] 


4  INTRODUCTION    TO 

ent  to  the  illustration  of  one  important  moral  subject ;  thus  uniting 
the  attributes  of  the  poet  and  philosopher.  It  is  true  that  we 
miss  the  perfection  of  Grecian  art  in  the  structure  of  the  work  of 
a  Hebrew  poet  who  wrote  more  than  a  century  before  ^schylus  ; 
and  his  plan  required  him  to  set  forth  the  general  workings  of  the 
human  heart,  rather  than  to  delineate  the  nicer  shades  of  human 
character.  It  was  in  harmony  with  the  etliical  nature  of  the  com- 
position, that  his  characters  should  make  speeches,  rather  than 
converse.  Yet  no  one  can  fail  to  perceive  the  unity  of  design 
which  pervades  the  work,  and  the  adaptation  of  the  various  parts 
of  it  to  its  completion. 

The  first  place  among  the  Hebrew  poets  has  usually  been  as- 
signed to  Isaiah.  But  in  what  respect  the  Great  Unknown,  the 
author  of  the  Book  of  Job,  can  be  regarded  as  inferior  to  any 
Hebrew  poet,  or  any  other  poet,  unless  perhaps  we  except  Shaks- 
peare,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  conceive.  In  comprehensiveness  of 
thought,  and  in  richness  and  strength  of  imagination,  he  seems  to 
me  to  be  unsurpassed ;  and  in  depth  and  tenderness  of  feeling 
to  be  incomparable,  when  we  consider  that  female  loveliness  con- 
stitutes no  part  of  the  interest  of  the  work.  Almost  every  Chris- 
tian poet  has  felt  his  influence  in  respect  both  to  thought  and 
expression.  But  to  delineate  the  excellences  and  beauties  of  the 
Book  of  Job  is  a  task  far  beyond  my  capacity.  They  must  be 
understood  and  felt,  rather  than  described. 

There  has  been  much  discussion  in  former  times,  in  regard  to 
the  particular  department  of  poetry  and  literature  under  which 
the  Book  of  Job  should  be  classed.  Undue  importance  has  with- 
out doubt  been  attached  to  this  question ;  and  the  scope  and  spirit 
of  the  work  have  in  a  degree  been  lost  sight  of,  in  the  eagerness 
with  wliich  different  writers  have  sought  to  establish  its  claim  to 
the  appellation  of  epic  or  dramatic,  or  its  place  in  a  particular 
department  of  poetical  composition.  The  truth  is,  that  there  is 
nothing  which  bears  an  exact  resemblance  to  it  in  Grecian,  Ro- 
man, or  modern  literature.  It  has  something  in  common,  not 
only  with  diiferent  forms  of  composition,  but  with  different 
departments  of  literature.  Those  who  have  given  it  the  appel- 
lation of  an  epic  poem  have  applied  to  it  a  term  the  least 
suited   to   its   character,   and  the  most  unjust  to   its   claims   as 


THE    BOOK    OF    JOB.  5 

a  work  of  art.  They  have  made  unimportant  circumstances,  in 
regard  to  its  form,  of  more  consequence  than  its  substantial  char- 
acter, spirit,  and  design.  Nothing  can  be  more  evident  than  the 
fact,  that  to  excite  interest  in  the  personal  fortunes  of  Job,  as 
the  hero  of  a  poem,  was  not  the  principal  design  of  the  writer. 
Still  less  was  it  his  design  to  unfold  characteristic  traits  in  the 
other  personages  introduced  into  the  work.  Some,  ipdeed,  have 
discovered,  as  they  supposed,  striking  characteristic  traits  in  Eli- 
phaz  the  Temanite,  Bildad  the  Shuhite,  and  Zophar  the  Naama- 
thite  ;  and  have  pointed  out  the  diiferent  degrees  of  severity  which 
they  exhibited  towards  their  friend  in  his  distress.  It  appears  to 
rae  that  these  writers  have  drawn  largely  on  their  own  imagina- 
tions to  make  their  opinions  probable.  There  is,  no  doubt,  some 
diversity  in  the  manner  and  substance  of  the  discourses  of  the 
friends  of  Job.  The  author  may  have  put  the  longest  and  best 
speeches  into  the  mouth  of  an  inhabitant  of  a  city  so  famous  for 
its  wisdom  as  Teman ;  *  and  to  Elihu,  whom  some  regard  as 
thrust  into  the  place  he  occupies  by  a  later  writer  than  the  author, 
he  certainly  assigns,  at  least  in  the  beginning  of  Elihu's  speech, 
and  in  the  preambles  in  chap,  xxxiii.  1-9,  31-33,  xxxiv.  2-4:,  xxxv. 
2-4,  the  language  of  a  young  man  who  has  made  rather  an  extrav- 
agant estimate  of  his  abilities  and  his  consequence.  But  I  seek  in 
vain  for  evidence  that  the  author  made  it  a  principal  object  to 
excite  an  interest  in  the  actions  or  characters  of  the  personages 
whom  he  introduces.     He  had  little  dramatic  power. 

There  is  more  plausibility  in  the  views  of  those  who  have 
regarded  and  named  the  Book  of  Job  a  dramatic  poem.  For, 
undoubtedly,  the  character  of  Job  has  a  tragic  interest,  and  reminds 
one  of  the  most  interesting  characters  of  Grecian  tragedy,  suffer- 
ing by  the  wUl  of  the  gods  or  the  necessities  of  fate,  especially 
the  Prometheus  Yinctus  of  ^schylus.  In  regard  to  its  form, 
there  is  something  that  resembles  dialogue, — though  the  per- 
sons taking  part  in  it  make  speeches  rather  than  converse,  — 
and  something  that  bears  a  distant  resemblance  to  a  prologue  and 
an  epilogue.  The  author  has  also  skilfully  introduced  into  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  work  hints  having  reference  to  the  final  issue  of 

*  Jer.  xlix.  7. 


6  INTRODUCTION    TO 

the  fortunes  of  Job,  similar  to  those  which  occur  in  the  best  of  the 
Greek  tragedies,  such  as  the  Gi^dipus  Tyrannus.  (See  chap.  viii. 
6,  7 ;  xvi.  19 ;  xix,  25,  &c.,  compared  with  chap,  xlii.)  Still, 
to  give  the  name  of  a  drama  or  a  tragedy  to  this  production  is  to 
give  it  a  name  from  what  is  incidental  to  it,  rather  than  from  its 
pervading  spirit  and  prominent  design.  To  call  it  a  poem  of  any 
kind  fails  to  suggest  the  characteristic  feature  of  the  \^ork,  though 
it  contains  poetry,  which  perhaps  has  never  been  surpassed. 

If  we  have  regard  to  the  main  design,  the  substance  and  spirit 
of  the  work,  we  shall  refer  it  to  the  department  of  moral  or  reli- 
gious philosophy.  It  contains  the  moral  or  religious  philosophy 
of  the  time  when  it  was  produced.  It  is  rather  a  philosophical 
religious  discussion  in  a  poetical  form  than  an  epic  or  dramatic 
poem.  It  is  more  nearly  allied  to  the  Essay  on  Man  than  to  Para- 
dise Lost,  or  Prometheus  Vinctus.  It  is  the  effusion  of  the  mind 
and  heart  of  the  author  upon  a  moral  subject  which  has  agitated 
the  human  bosom  in  every  age.  Still,  the  author  was  a  poet  as 
well  as  a  religious  philosopher.  In  the  mode  of  presenting  the 
subject  to  his  readers,  he  aimed,  like  other  poets,  to  move  the 
human  feelings  by  exhibitions  of  passion  and  scenes  of  distress, 
and  to  please  the  taste  by  the  sublime  flights  of  his  imagination. 
He  aimed  to  give  the  highest  interest  to  his  subject  by  clothing 
his  thoughts  in  the  loftiest  language  of  poetry,  and  arranging  them 
in  the  measured  rhythm  which  is  one  of  the  characteristics  of  He- 
brew poetry. 

It  might  be  interesting  to  analyze  the  pure  religious  doctrines 
which  the  author  held,  and,  with  wonderful  liberality  for  one  of 
the  Jewish  nation,  ascribed  to  Arabians ;  but  such  an  analysis  is 
hardly  necessary  in  an  introduction  to  the  book.  It  seems  par- 
ticularly remarkable  that  he  should  ascribe  Divine  inspiration  to 
Eliphaz  the  Temanite.     (See  chap.  iv.  12-21.) 

The  special  subject  of  this  unique  production  is  the  ways  of 
Providence  in  regard  to  the  distribution  of  good  and  evil  in  the 
world,  in  connection  with  the  doctrine  of  a  righteous  retribution 
in  the  present  life,  such  as  seemed  to  be  contained  in  the  Jewish 
religion.  It  sets  forth  the  struggle  between  faith  in  the  perfect 
government  of  God,  or  in  a  righteous  retribution  in  the  present 
life,  and  the  various  doubts  excited  in  the  soul  of  man  by  what  it 


THE    BOOK    OF    JOB.  7 

feels  or  sees  of  human  misery,  and  by  what  it  knows  of  the  pros- 
perity of  the  contemners  of  God.  These  doubts  the  author 
expresses  in  strong  and  irreverent  language  from  the  lips  of  Job ; 
while  the  received  doctrine  of  an  exact  earthly  retribution,  which 
pervades  the  Jewish  religion,  is  maintained  and  reiterated  by  the 
personages  introduced  as  the  friends  of  Job. 

The  subject  is  one  which  comes  home  to  men's  business  and 
bosoms.  Even  under  the  light  of  Christianity,  perhaps  there  are 
few  who  have  not  in  peculiar  seasons  felt  a  conflict  between  faith 
in  the  perfect  government  of  God,  and  various  feelings  excited  in 
their  minds  by  what  they  have  experienced  or  witnessed  of  human 
suffering.  The  pains  of  the  innocent,  —  of  those  who  cannot  dis- 
cern their  right  hand  from  their  left  hand,  — the  protracted  calam- 
ities which  are  often  the  lot  of  the  righteous,  and  the  prosperity 
which  often  crowns  the  designs  of  the  wicked,  have  at  times  ex- 
cited wonder,  perplexity,  and  doubt  in  almost  every  thoughtful 
mind.  We,  as  Christians,  silence  our  doubts,  and  confirm  our 
faith,  by  what  experience  teaches  us  of  the  general  wisdom  and 
benevolence  of  the  Creator,  by  the  consideration  that  affliction 
comes  from  the  same  merciful  hand  which  is  the  source  of  all  the 
good  that  we  have  ever  enjoyed,  by  the  perception  of  the  moral 
and  religious  influences  of  adversity,  and  especially  by  the  hope 
of  the  joy  to  be  realized  in  a  better  world,  which  is  set  before 
those  who  endure  to  the  end.  The  apostle  could  say  for  the  con- 
solation of  himself  and  his  fellow-sufferers,  *'For  I  reckon  that 
the  sufferings  of  this  present  time  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared 
with  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed  in  us."  And  every  Chris- 
tian knows  that  the  Captain  of  his  salvation  ascended  to  his  throne 
of  glory  from  the  ignominious  cross.  The  cross  is  the  great 
source  of  the  Christian's  consolation.  But  let  us  suppose  our- 
selves to  be  deprived  of  those  sources  of  consolation  which  are 
peculiar  to  a  disciple  of  Christ,  and  we  may  conceive  of  the  state 
of  mind  of  the  author  of  the  Book  of  Job,  upon  whom  the  Sun  of 
righteousness  had  never  dawned.  Is  it  strange  that  the  soul  of  a 
pious  Jew,  who  lived  before  ' '  life  and  immortality  were  brought 
to  light  through  the  gospel,"  should  have  been  agitated  by  the 
conflict  between  such  a  faith  in  temporal  retribution  as  his  religion 
seemed  to  require,  and  the  doubts  and  murmurings  excited  by  what 


8  INTRODUCTION    TO 

he  felt  and  saw  of  the  calamities  of  the  righteous,  and  witnessed 
of  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked  ?  One  of  the  most  enlightened  of 
the  Romans,  when  called  to  mourn  the  early  loss  of  the  children 
of  his  hopes,  was  led,  as  he  says,  almost  "to  accuse  the  gods, 
and  to  exclaim,  that  no  Providence  governed  the  world."  An 
Arabic  poet,  quoted  by  Dr.  Pococke,*  writes  :  — 

Quot  intellectu  praestantes  in  angustias  rediguntur, 
Et  summd  stolidos  invenies  prospere  agentes ! 
Hoc  est  quod  animos  pei^lexos  relinqiiit, 
Et  egregife  doctos  Sadducaeos  reddit. 

"  How  many  wise  men  are  reduced  to  distress, 
And  how  manj-  fools  will  you  find  in  prosperity ! 
It  is  this  that  leaves  the  mind  in  perplexity, 
And  makes  Sadducees  of  very  learned  men." 

We  think  that  many  have  stated  too  strongly  the  argument  for 
the  immortality  of  the  soul,  drawn  from  the  apparent  inequalities 
of  the  present  state.  To  maintain  that  there  is  little  or  no  retri- 
bution in  this  part  of  the  Creator's  dominions  appears  to  me  not 
the  best  way  of  proving  that  there  will  be  a  perfect  one  in  another 
part  of  them.  Nor  is  such  a  representation  true.  To  a  very 
important  extent,  "  we  still  have  justice  here."  But  the  senti- 
ments referred  to  above,  respecting  the  limited  retributions  of  the 
present  life,  may  serve  to  illustrate  the  mental  condition  of  a  pious 
man  of  exalted  genius,  who  appears  to  have  had  no  conception, 
or  at  least  no  belief,  of  a  state  after  death  that  was  desirable  in 
comparison  with  the  present  life. 

In  Ps.  Ixxiii.  we  have  the  thoughts  which  passed  through  the 
mind  of  another  upon  the  same  subject :  — 

"  Yet  my  feet  almost  gave  way; 
My  steps  had  well  nigh  slipped: 
For  I  was  envious  of  the  profane, 
"When  I  saw  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked,"  &c. 

Ps.  xxxvli.  may  also  be  considered  as  being  upon  the  same  sub- 
ject, and  so  likewise  the  Book  of  Ecclesiastes ;  though  a  more 
sceptical  spirit  seems  to  pervade  the  latter  than  either  of  the 
psalms  above  mentioned,  or  the  Book  of  Job. 

*  Not.  in  Port.  Mos.  c.  vii.  0pp.  p.  214. 


THE    BOOK     OF    JOB.  9. 

Such  being  tlie  subject  which  filled  the  mind  of  the  author  of 
this  book,  the  question  arises,  how  he  has  treated  it,  or  what  he 
aimed  to  accomplish  in  regard  to  it.  That  in  his  own  view  he  had 
solved  all  the  difficulties  which  embarrass  the  human  understanding 
in  regard  to  the  subject  is  not  very  probable.  But  that  he  pro- 
posed to  establish  some  definite  truths  in  relation  to  it,  as  well  as 
to  inculcate  the  duty  of  entire  submission  to  God,  and  unreserved 
faith  in  him,  is,  I  think,  clear.  I  do  not  believe,  with  De  Wette, 
that  he  meant  to  leave  the  subject  an  utter  mystery,  and  merely 
to  bring  man  to  a  helpless  consciousness  of  his  ignorance.  The 
prologue  and  epilogue,  which  this  writer  admits  to  be  genuine,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  speech  of  EHhu,  refute  such  an  opinion.  The 
most  prominent  part  of  the  author's  design  is,  indeed,  to  enforce 
the  duty  of  unqualified  submission  to  the  will  of  God,  and  of  rev- 
erential faith  amid  all  the  difficulties  which  perplex  the  understand- 
ing in  relation  to  the  government  of  God.  But  a  part  of  it  is  also 
to  illustrate  the  truth,  that  moral  character  is  not  to  be  inferred 
from  outward  condition  (see  chap,  xxxiii.  19-28)  ;  that  afflictions 
are  designed  as  the  trial  of  piety,  and  as  means  for  its  advance- 
ment ;  and  that  they  lead  in  the  end  to  higher  good  than  would 
otherwise  be  obtained ;  and  thus  to  assert  eternal  providence,  and 
justify  the  ways  of  God  to  man.  And,  while  he  enforces  the  duty 
of  entire  submission  to  God,  he  incidentally  intimates  that  un- 
founded censures  and  unkind  treatment  of  a  friend  in  distress  are 
more  offensive  to  the  Deity  than  those  expressions  of  impatience 
which  affliction  may  wring  from  the  lips  of  the  pious.* 

The  author  aims  to  show,  that,  in  the  distribution  of  good  and 
evil  in  the  world,  God  is  sometimes  influenced  by  reasons  which 
man  can  neither  discover  nor  comprehend,  and  not  solely  by  the 
merit  or  demerit  of  his  creatures ;  that  the  righteous  are  often 
afflicted,  and  the  wicked  prospered :  but  that  this  course  of  provi- 
dence is  perfectly  consistent  with  wisdom,  justice,  and  goodness 
in  the  Deity,  though  man  is  unable  to  discern  the  reasons  of  it ; 
that  afflictions  are  often  intended  as  the  trials  oF  piety  and  the 
means  of  moral  improvement ;  that  man  is  an  incompetent  judge  of 
the  Divine  dispensations ;  that,  instead  of  rashly  daring  to  pene- 

*  Chap.  xlii.  7. 
1* 


10  INTRODUCTION    TO 

trate  or  to  censure  the  counsels  of  his  Creator,  it  is  his  duty  to 
submit  to  his  will,  to  reverence  his  character,  and  to  obey  his 
laws  ;  and  that  the  end  will  prove  the  wisdom  as  well  as  the  obli- 
gation and  the  happy  consequences  of  such  submission,  rever- 
ence, and  obedience. 

In  this  view,  I  have  taken  the  whole  book,  as  we  now  have  it, 
to  be  genuine.  I  think  this  supposition  is  attended  with  the 
fewest  difficulties.  Those  who  discard  the  speech  of  Ehhu,  the 
twenty-eighth  chapter  and  part  of  the  twenty-seventh,  and  the 
prose  introduction  and  conclusion,  must  give,  of  course,  an  ac- 
count of  it  somewhat  difi'erent.  They  imagine  that  by  the  exclu- 
sion of  these  portions  they  give  greater  unity  to  the  composition. 
But  where  did  they  learn  that  every  poem  must  have  perfect  unity, 
or  even  perfect  consistency  ? 

In  order  to  accomplish  the  design,  or  express  the  views,  which 
I  have  exhibited,  in  such  a  manner  that  his  work  should  possess 
the  highest  interest  for  his  readers,  the  author  employs  a  form  of 
composition  resembling  that  of  the  drama.  He  brings  forward  a 
personage,  celebrated  probably  in  the  traditions  of  his  country 
on  account  of  the  distinguished  excellence  of  his  character,  and 
the  marvellous  vicissitudes  through  which  he  had  passed.  In  the 
delineation  of  the  character  and  fortunes  of  this  personage,  he 
uses  the  liberty  of  a  poet  in  stating  every  thing  in  extremes,  or  in 
painting  every  thing  in  the  broadest  colors,  that  he  might  thus  the 
better  illustrate  the  moral  truth,  and  accomplish  the  moral  pur- 
pose, which  he  had  in  view. 

He  introduces  to  the  reader  an  inhabitant  of  the  land  of  Uz, 
in  the  northern  part  of  Arabia,  equally  distinguished  by  his  piety 
and  his  prosperity.  He  was  pronounced  by  the  Searcher  of 
hearts  an  upright  and  good  man ;  and  he  was  surrounded  by  a 
happy  family,  and  was  the  most  wealthy  of  all  the  inhabitants  of 
the  East. 

If  virtue  and  piety  could  in  any  case  be  a  security  against  calam- 
ity, then  must  Job's  prosperity  have  been  lasting.  Who  ever  had 
more  reason  for  expecting  continued  prosperity,  the  favor  of  men, 
and  the  smiles  of  Providence  ?  "  But,  when  he  looked  for  good, 
evil  came."     A  single  day  produces  a  complete  reverse  in  his 


THEBOOKOFJOB.  H 


s 


condition,  and  reduces  him  from  the  height  of  prosperity  to  the 
lowest  depths  of  misery.  He  is  stripped  of  his  possessions.  Ills 
children,  a  numerous  family,  for  whom  he  had  never  forgotten  to 
offer  to  God  a  morning  sacrifice,  are  buried  under  the  ruins  of 
their  houses,  which  a  hurricane  levels  with  the  ground  ;  and,  finally, 
he  is  afflicted,  in  his  own  person,  with  a  most  loathsome  and  dan- 
gerous disease.  Thus  the  best  man  in  the  world  has  become  the 
most  miserable  man  in  the  world. 

The  reader  is  made  acquainted  in  the  outset  with  the  cause  of 
the  afflictions  of  Job.  At  an  assembly  of  the  sons  of  God,  — that 
is,  the  inhabitants  of  heaven,  — in  the  presence  of  the  Governor 
of  the  world,  an  evil  spirit,  Satan,  the  adversary  or  accuser  in  the 
court  of  heaven,  had  come,*  on  his  return  from  an  excursion  over 
the  earth,  to  present  himself  before  God,  or  to  stand  in  readiness 
to  receive  his  commands.  Jehovah  puts  the  question  to  Satan, 
whether  he  had  taken  notice  of  the  model  of  human  excellence 
exhibited  in  the  character  of  his  servant  Job,  and  sets  forth  the 
praise  of  this  good  man  in  terms  so  emphatic  as  to  excite  the  envy 
and  ill-will  of  that  suspicious  accuser  of  his  brethren.  Satan  inti- 
mates that  selfishness  is  the  sole  motive  of  Job's  obedience ;  that 
it  was  with  views  of  profit,  and  not  from  sentiments  of  reverence 
toward  God,  that  he  paid  him  an  outward  service ;  that,  if  Jehovah 
should  take  away  the  possessions  of  him  whom  he  believed  so 
faithful,  he  would  at  once  renounce  his  service.  "  Doth  Job  fear 
God  for  nought  ?  "  To  establish  the  truth  of  what  he  had  said  in 
commendation  of  his  servant,  Jehovah  is  represented  as  giving 
permission  to  Satan  to  put  the  piety  of  Job  to  the  test,  by  taking 
away  at  once  all  his  possessions  and  all  his  children.  But  the 
evil  spirit  gains  no  triumph.  Job  remains  true  to  his  allegiance. 
He  sins  not  even  with  his  lips.  There  is  yet  another  assembly 
of  the  heavenly  spirits ;  and  here  the  hateful  spirit,  the  disbe- 
liever in  human  virtue,  persists  in  maintaining  that  it  is  the  love  of 
life,  the  dearest  of  all  possessions  to  man,  which  retains  Job  in 
his  allegiance.  Satan  therefore  is  represented  as  having  per- 
mission to  take  from  Job  all  that  can  be  called  life,  except  the 
mere  consciousness  of  existence  and  the  ability  to  express  his 
sentiments  in  the  condition  to  which  he  is  reduced,  by  the  inflic- 
tion of  a  most  loathsome  disease.     And  yet  the  good  man,  in  this 


12  INTRODUCTION    TO 

lowest  point  of  depression,  is  represented  as  remaining  patient  so 
long,  that  when  his  wife,  whom  Satan  appears  to  have  spared  to 
him  for  no  good  purpose,  tempts  him  to  renounce  his  allegiance 
to  God,  he  calmly  answers,  "  Shall  we  receive  good  at  the  hand 
of  God,  and  shall  we  not  receive  evil  ?  "  Thus  far  he  did  not  sin 
with  his  lips. 

But  when  the  fame  of  Job's  sufferings  had  spread  abroad,  and 
had  drawn  around  him  a  company  of  his  friends,  who  had  left 
their  distant  homes  to  sympathize  with  him  in  his  calamities,  he  is 
represented  as  giving  vehement  utterance  to  his  long-repressed 
impatience,  and  pouring  out  his  complaints  and  doubts  in  rash 
language,  with  which  the  reader  would  hardly  be  able  to  sympa- 
thize, were  it  not  for  the  account  wliich  has  been  given  of  the 
cause  of  his  afflictions  in  the  introductory  chapters. 

But  the  friends  of  Job,  who  of  course  are  not  acquainted  with 
the  cause  of  his  sufferings  in  the  occurrences  of  the  heavenly  as- 
sembly, are  thrown  into  amazement  at  the  condition  in  which  they 
find  their  friend,  and  the  expressions  uttered  by  him  whom  they 
had  heretofore  looked  upon  as  a  wise  and  good  man.  They  are 
silent  while  they  witness  only  his  dreadful  sufferings ;  but,  when 
they  hear  the  vehement  and  rash  complaints  which  are  extorted 
from  him  by  the  severity  of  his  distress,  they  refrain  no  longer 
from  expressing  their  sentiments  respecting  the  cause  of  his  calami- 
ties. They  ascribe  them  to  his  sins.  Thus  commences  a  discussion 
respecting  the  causes  of  human  sufferings  between  Job  and  his 
friends.  They  are  represented  as  holding  the  doctrine  of  a  strict 
and  perfect  retribution  in  the  present  life ;  as  maintaining  that 
misery  always  implies  guilt;  and  hence,  instead  of  bringing  him 
comfort  and  consolation,  they  accuse  him  of  having  merited  his 
misfortunes  by  secret  wickedness.  They  exhort  him  to  repent- 
ance, as  if  he  were  a  great  sinner  suffering  the  just  punishment 
of  his  crimes. 

Job  repels  their  insinuations  with  indignation,  and  firmly  main- 
tains his  innocence.  He  knows  not  why  he  suffers.  He  com- 
plains of  severe  treatment,  and  asserts  that  God  afflicts  equally 
the  righteous  and  the  wicked.  His  friends  are  offended  with  the 
sentiments  to  which  he  gives  utterance,  and  undertake  to  vindicate 
the  conduct  of  the  Deity  towards  him.     They  repeat  with  greater 


THE    BOOK    OF    JOB.  13 

asperity  their  charges  of  wickedness  and  impiety,  and  even  go  so 
far  as  to  accuse  him  of  particular  crimes.  But  the  more  they  press 
their  accusations,  the  more  confident  is  he  in  his  assertions  of  his 
innocence,  or  of  the  justice  of  his  cause.  He  avows  his  conviction 
that  God  will  one  day  manifest  himself  as  the  vindicator  of  his 
character.  He  appeals  to  him  as  the  witness  of  his  sincerity; 
denies  the  constancy,  and  even  the  frequency,  of  his  judgments 
upon  wicked  men ;  and  boldly  asks  for  an  opportunity  of  pleading 
his  cause  with  his  Creator,  confident  that  he  should  be  acquitted 
before  any  righteous  tribunal.  His  friends  are  reduced  to  silence  ; 
Bildad  closing  their  remarks  by  a  few  general  maxims  respecting 
the  greatness  of  God  and  the  frailty  of  man,  and  Zophar  not  un- 
dertaking to  say  any  thing. 

The  spirit  of  Job  is  somewhat  softened  by  their  silence  ;  and  he 
retracts  some  of  the  sentiments,  which,  in  the  anguish  of  his  spirit, 
and  the  heat  of  controversy,  he  had  inconsiderately  uttered. 
' '  He  proceeds  with  calm  confidence  like  a  lion  among  his  defeated 
enemies."  He  shows  that  he  was  able  to  speak  of  the  perfections 
of  God,  and  to  express  all  that  was  true  in  the  positions  of  his 
opponents,  in  a  better  style  than  any  of  them.  He  now  admits, 
what  before  he  seemed  to  deny,  that  wicked  men  are  often  visited 
by  severe  punishment.  But  from  his  main  position  he  does  not 
retreat,  that  misery  is  not  always  the  consequence  of  wickedness, 
and  that  God  has  a  hidden  wisdom  in  regard  to  the  distribution  of 
happiness  and  misery,  which  it  is  impossible  for  man  to  fathom. 
He  then  proceeds  with  a  melting  pathos  to  describe  his  present 
in  contrast  with  his  former  condition,  and  to  give  a  most  beauti- 
ful picture  of  his  character  and  life,  very  pardonable  in  one  of 
whom  the  reader  knows  what  has  in  the  prologue  been  said  by  the 
Governor  of  the  world  before  the  angels  of  heaven.  From  this 
retrospect  of  his  past  life,  he  is  led  to  renewed  protestations  of 
his  innocence,  and  of  his  desire  to  have  his  cause  tried  before  the 
tribunal  of  his  Creator. 

In  this  stage  of  the  discussion,  a  new  disputant  is  brought  for- 
ward, probably  for  the  purpose  of  expressing  some  thoughts  of  the 
author  on  the  design  of  afflictions,  and  for  the  purpose  of  forming 
a  contrast  in  respect  to  style  and  manner  with  the  manifestation  of 
the  Deity  which  follows.     Elihu  is  represented  as  a  young  man 


14  INTRODUCTION    TO 

coming  forward  with  an  air  of  great  confidence,  though  in  words 
he  ascribes  the  burden  with  which  his  breast  was  laboring  to  the 
inspiration  of  God.  He  does,  indeed,  bring  forward  some  thoughts 
on  the  moral  influence  of  afflictions  which  had  not  been  uttered  by 
the  friends  of  Job ;  maintaining  that,  though  they  may  not  be  the 
punishment  of  past  offences,  nor  evidence  of  guilt,  they  may  oper- 
ate as  preventives  of  those  sins  which  the  best  of  men  sometimes 
commit,  and  as  a  salutary  discipHne  for  the  correction  of  those 
faults  of  which  a  man  may  be  unconscious  until  his  attention  is 
awakened  by  adversity.  Thus  he  oifers '  a  more  rational  conjec- 
ture than  the  three  friends  of  Job,  in  regard  to  the  cause  of  his 
afliictions ;  and,  in  fact,  gives  nearly  the  same  account  of  it  which 
i«  regarded  as  true  by  the  writer,  and  is  implied  in  the  prologue 
and  epilogue  of  the  poem.  Affliction,  according  to  EHhu,  is 
designed  for  the  moral  benefit  of  the  sufferer.  His  view  of  the 
design  of  human  sufferings  is,  therefore,  nearer  the  Christian  doc- 
trine than  that  of  any  speaker  in  the  book.  Of  course,  like  all 
others,  he  fails  of  completely  solving  all  the  difficulties,  which, 
even  under  the  light  of  the  Christian  dispensation,  are  connected 
with  the  subject  of  the  amount  of  evil  which  exists  in  the  world, 
and  the  distribution  of  good  and  evil  in  it,  under  the  govern- 
ment of  God.  Thus  an  appropriate  place  remains  for  the 
sublime  speech  of  the  Deity  relating  to  the  unsearchableness  of 
his  counsels  and  his  ways. 

Human  wisdom,  the  learned  wisdom  of  age,  and  the  unbiassed 
genius  of  youth,  having  now  been  exhausted  upon  the  subject, 
at  length  the  Supreme  Being  himself  is  represented  as  speak- 
ing from  the  midst  of  a  tempest,  and  putting  an  end  to  the  con- 
troversy ;  the  dignity  of  his  introduction  being  rendered  more 
impressive  by  the  self-confident  egotism  with  which  Elihu  had  com- 
menced his  part  in  the  contest. 

The  Creator  decides  the  controversy,  to  a  certain  extent,  in 
favor  of  Job.  Jehovah  does  not,  however,  condescend  to  explain 
to  him  the  ways  of  his  providence,  or  to  reveal  to  him  the  reasons 
which  influence  his  conduct ;  but,  in  a  series  of  forcible  ques- 
tions relating  to  the  Divine  operations  in  the  realms  of  nature, 
he  convinces  him  of  his  inability  to  fathom  the  Divine  counsels, 
demonstrates  the  necessity  of  faith  in  a  wisdom  which  he  cannot 


THE    BOOK    OP    JOB.  15 

comprehend,  produces  in  him  a  sense  of  his  weakness  and  igno- 
rance, and  leads  him  to  profound  repentance  on  account  of  the 
rashness  of  his  language  ;  and  thus  prepares  the  way  for  the  final 
vindication  of  his  faithful  servant.  In  a  strain  of  sublime  irony, 
he  requests  him,  who  had  spoken  with  such  confidence  and  bold- 
ness of  the  ways  of  God,  to  give  an  explanation  of  some  of  the 
phenomena  which  were  constantly  presented  to  his  view,  —  of  the 
nature  and  structure  of  the  earth,  the  sea,  the  light,  and  the  ani- 
mal kingdom.  If  he  be  unable  to  explain  any  of  the  common 
phenomena  of  nature,  how  can  he  expect  to  comprehend  the 
secret  counsels  and  moral  government  of  the  invisible  Author 
of  nature  ? 

But,  having  shown  the  reasonableness  of  entire  confidence  in  his 
unsearchable  wisdom,  and  of  submission  to  his  darkest  dispensa- 
tions, the  Supreme  Judge  does,  in  the  main,  decide  the  contro- 
versy in  favor  of  Job.  He  declares  that  he  had  spoken  that  which 
was  right ;  that  is,  in  maintaining  that  his  misery  was  not  the  con- 
sequence of  his  guilt,  or  that  character  is  not  to  be  inferred  from 
external  condition ;  and  that  the  friends  of  Job  had  not  spoken 
that  which  was  right  in  condemning  him  as  a  wicked  man  on  ac- 
count of  his  misery,  or  in  maintaining  that  suffering  always  implies 
guilt.  (Chap.  xlii.  7,  8.)  The  cause  of  Job's  afflictions,  which  was 
unknown  to  the  disputants,  has  already  been  communicated  to  the 
reader  in  the  introductory  chapters ;  namely,  that  they  were  ap- 
pointed as  a  temporary  trial  of  his  virtue,  in  order  to  vindicate 
the  judgment  of  Jehovah  concerning  him,  and  to  prove  against 
all  gainsayers  the  disinterestedness  of  his  piety.  Finally,  Jehovah 
is  represented  as  bestowing  upon  Job  double  the  prosperity  which 
distinguished  him  before  his  affliction,  and  thus  as  compensating 
him  for  the  calamities  he  had  suffered ;  thereby  showing,  for  the 
consolation  of  all  who  endure  affliction,  that  the  end  of  the  good 
man  will  prove  that  he  was  also  wise. 

If  the  general  design  of  this  wonderful  production  be  such  as 
I  have  described,  the  question  whether  Job  was  a  real  or  a  ficti- 
tious character  becomes  almost  too  unimportant  to  be  discussed. 
Truth  was  illustrated  and  duty  enforced  by  parable  as  well  as  by 
history,  in  the  teaching  of  him  who  spake  as  never  man  spake. 


16  INTRODUCTION    TO 

Certainly  some  of  the  circumstances  of  the  life  of  Job  have  the 
air  of  fiction,  and  may  have  been  invented  for  the  promotion  of 
the  moral  and  religious  design  which  we  suppose  the  author  to 
have  had  chiefly  in  view. 

That  the  sentiments  of  Job  and  of  the  different  disputants,  as 
well  as  those  which  are  represented  as  proceeding  from  the  lips 
of  the  Creator,  must  all  be  regarded  as  the  effusions  of  the  poet's 
own  mind,  is  also  too  plain  to  need  argument.  The  whole  struc- 
ture and  arrangement,  thoughts  and  language,  form  and  sub- 
stance of  the  work,  must  all  have  proceeded  from  one  and  the 
same  mind. 

The  supposition,  that  so  beautiful  and  harmonious  a  whole, 
every  part  of  which  bears  the  stamp  of  the  highest  genius,  was 
the  casual  production  of  a  man  brought  to  the  gates  of  the  grave 
by  a  loathsome  disease,  and  of  three  or  four  friends  who  had 
come  to  comfort  him  in  his  affliction,  all  of  them  expressing  their 
thoughts  in  the  language  of  rhythm  and  poetry ;  that  the  Deity 
was  actually  heard  to  speak  half  an  hour  from  the  midst  of  a 
violent  storm ;  and  that  the  consultations  in  the  heavenly  world 
were  actual  occurrences,  — is  too  extravagant  to  need  refutation. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  against  probability  and  against  analogy 
to  suppose  that  no  such  person  as  Job  ever  existed,  and  that  the 
work  has  no  foundation  in  fact.  The  etymological  signification 
of  his  name,  persecuted,  has  a  very  slight  bearing  on  the  subject. 
The  epic  and  dramatic  poets,  ancient  and  modern,  have  usually 
chosen  historical  rather  than  fictitious  personages  as  their  princi- 
pal characters,  as  being  better  adapted  to  secure  the  popular 
sympathy.  It  is  probable  that  tradition  had  handed  down  the 
name  of  such  a  person  as  Job,  distinguished  for  his  piety  and  its 
trials,  his  virtue  and  its  reward.  This  tradition  the  poet  used 
and  embellished  in  a  manner  adapted  to  promote  the  chief  object 
of  his  work. 

A  more  important  question,  at  the  present  day,  relates  to  the 
integrity  of  the  work ;  whether  we  have  it  as  it  came  from  the 
author,  or  whether  various  additions  have  been  made  to  it  in 
later  times. 

The  genuineness  of  the  introductory  and  concluding  chapters 


THE    BOOK    OF    JOB.  17 

in  prose,  of  chap,  xxvii.  T-xxvili.,  and  of  the  speech  of  Elihu,  has 
been  denied  with  great  confidence  by  several  German  scholars, 
upon  what  I  cannot  but  regard  as  very  insufficient  grounds.  Well 
knowing  the  array  of  learned  critics  from  whom  I  differ  on  tliis 
question,  I  have  some  distrust  in  my  own  judgment.  But  I  will 
endeavor  to  examine  with  fairness  the  arguments  which  have  been 
adduced  against  the  genuineness  of  the  above-mentioned  parts  of 
Job. 

Against  the  prologue  and  epilogue  it  is  urged,  "that  the  per- 
fection of  the  work  requires  their  rejection,  because  they  solve 
the  problem  which  is  the  subject  of  the  work  by  the  idea  of  trial 
and  compensation ;  whereas  it  was  the  design  of  the  author  to 
solve  the  question  through  the  idea  of  entire  submission  on  the 
part  of  man  to  the  wisdom  and  power  of  God."  Thus,  from  a 
part  of  the  work  it  is  concluded  what  was  the  whole  design  of 
the  author,  and  then  whatever  is  inconsistent  with  this  supposed 
design  is  rejected.  But  there  is  no  necessity  for  the  supposition 
of  such  an  entire  unity  of  purpose  as  this  objection  supposes. 
Much  more  probable  is  it,  that  the  author  designed  not  only  to 
establish  the  necessity  of  unhesitating  faith  and  unwavering  sub- 
mission, but  also  to  throw  all  the  light  in  his  power  upon  the 
subject,  considered  as  a  problem  for  intellectual  inquiiy.  If  he 
has  not  completely  solved  the  question  which  forms  the  principal 
subject  of  discussion,  it  does  not  follow  that  he  did  not  undertake 
to  do  it ;  or,  at  least,  to  remove  from  it  all  the  difficulties  which 
he  could  remove.  If  it  were  even  admitted,  which  I  do  not 
assert,  that  there  is  not  a  perfect  consistency  and  unity  in  the 
views  of  a  poet  writing  upon  a  very  deep  subject,  he  would  not 
be  the  only  one  who  has  written  inconsistently  on  the  origin  and 
design  of  evil.  What  author  has  written  with  perfect  consistency 
on  the  principles  of  the  government  of  the  Infinite  One  ?  Would 
it  be  reasonable  to  reject  as  ungenuine  all  those  parts  of  Soame 
Jenyns's  work  on  the  origin  of  evil  which  Dr.  Johnson  points  out 
as  inconsistent  with  its  main  design,  or  with  other  parts  of  the 
composition  ?  It  seems,  indeed,  singular,  that  a  writer  who  has 
made  such  pathetic  complaints  of  human  suffering  without  appar- 
ent cause  should  recur  so  easily  to  the  doctrine  of  compensation, 
which  is  contained  in  chap.  xlii.    But  to  deny,  on  this  account,  that 


18  INTRODUCTION    TO 

be  wrote  the  latter,  is  arbitrary  and  absurd.  Perhaps,  in  the  one 
case,  the  writer  expressed  what  Jie  felt  to  be  true ;  in  the  other, 
what  he  wished  to  be  true,  or  what  was  in  conformity  with  the 
prevalent  Jewish  belief  respecting  Divine  retribution.  We  have 
a  similar  phenomenon  in  the  Book  of  Ecclesiastes.  But  no  one 
has  thought  of  rejecting  large  portions  of  this  book. 

Far  more  reasonable  is  it  to  gather  the  author's  design  from  a 
view  of  the  whole  work ;  especially  as  there  is  no  inconsistency 
in  the  supposition  that  he  endeavored  to  clear  up  the  difficulties 
which  the  subject  presents  to  the  human  understanding,  as  well 
as  to  illustrate  the  necessity  of  the  entire  submission  of  the  heart 
to  God's  will. 

Besides,  the  prologue  is  important,  not  only  as  containing,  in 
part,  the  writer's  solution  of  the  subject,  but  also  as  a  preparation 
for  the  reader  in  estimating  the  character  and  language  of  Job. 
We  could  hardly  sympathize  with  the  imprecations  with  which  he 
commences,  or  with  his  irreverent  language  toward  the  Deity,  or 
even  with  his  bold  assertions  of  his  own  innocence,  unless  we 
were  assured  upon  higher  authority  than  his  own,  that  he  was, 
what  he  professed  to  be,  an  upright  and  good  man.  The  whole 
takes  a  far  deeper  hold  upon  our  sympathy,  when  we  know  that 
he  who  is  in  a  state  of  such  extreme  depression,  suffering  re- 
proach and  condemnation  from  fallible  men,  has  a  witness  in 
heaven  and  a  record  on  high,  having  received  the  praise  of  an 
upright  and  good  man  from  the  Searcher  of  hearts  before  the 
angels  in  heaven. 

The  objection  to  the  genuineness  of  chap,  xxvii.  and  xxviii.  is, 
that  an  apparent  inconsistency  exists  between  the  language  here 
assigned  to  Job,  and  what  he  has  uttered  in  chap.  xxi.  This 
inconsistency  is  obvious,  and  was  long  ago  observed  by  Kenni- 
cott.  See  his  note  on  chap,  xxvii.  7.  And,  if  the  object  of  the 
l)oet  was  to  represent  merely  a  persevering,  unbending  character 
like  the  Prometheus  of  -3]schylus,  there  might  be  some  force  in 
the  objection.  But,  if  the  design  of  the  work  be,  as  we  have 
represented  it,  to  throw  all  possible  light  upon  a  moral  subject,  it 
is  well  that  Job  should  be  represented  as  retracting  what  he  had 
uttered  in  the  heat  of  passion,  and  admitting  all  that  he  could 
admit  with  truth,  and  consistently  with  his  main  position,  that  he 


THE    BOOK    OF    JOB.  19 

was  innocent,  or  that  misery  is  not  always  a  proof  of  guilt.  The 
great  object  of  the  poem  is  in  fact  advanced  by  such  a  course,  and 
by  Job's  anticipating  in  some  measure,  in  chap,  xxviii.,  the  argu- 
ments of  the  Supreme  Judge.  All  that  Job  admits  is  not  really 
inconsistent  with  what  he  says  in  chap,  xxix.,  xxx.,  xxxi.,  and 
does  not  bring  the  subject  to  a  crisis  too  soon. 

In  regard  to  the  speech  of  Elihu,  it  is  objected,  that  it  differs 
in  style  from  that  of  the  other  speakers ;  that  it  is  weak,  prolix, 
studied,  obscure ;  that  it  is  distinguished  from  the  genuine  parts 
of  the  book  by  the  use  of  favorite  expressions,  and  by  reminis- 
cences from  the  thoughts  of  some  of  the  other  speakers.  That 
there  is  some  difference  between  the  language  of  Elihu  and  that 
of  the  other  speakers  is  conceded,  especially  when  he  is  repre- 
sented as  speaking  of  himself.  But,  when  he  has  entered  upon 
the  subject,  his  thoughts  are  as  weighty  and  as  well  expressed 
as  those  of  the  other  speakers.  The  superiority  of  other  parts 
of  the  book  to  the  speech  of  Elihu  appears  to  me  to  be  stated 
by  Davidson  in  very  extravagant  terms.  I  should  be  glad  to  be 
informed  why  chap,  xxxiv.  16-30,  xxxvi.  5-33,  and  xxxvii.  1-24, 
are  not  equal  in  poetic  beauty  and  sublimity  to  many  other  parts 
of  the  work.  But  the  true  answer  is,  that  this  difference  was 
designed ;  that  a  different-  style  was  assigned  to  Ehhu  by  the 
author.  There  is  some  difference  of  manner  in  the  speeches  of 
the  other  adversaries  of  Job.  It  is  more  marked  in  the  speech 
of  Elihu,  because  he  was  a  young  man.  Youthful  forwardness 
was  more  inconsistent  with  Eastern  feelings  and  manners  than  with 
ours.  (See  chap.  xxix.  8.)  And  it  is  not  strange  that  the  poet 
should  represent  a  young  man  appearing  upon  such  an  occasion 
as  giving  indications  of  youthful  confidence  in  matters  of  theology. 
The  author,  however,  soon  forgets  the  character  in  which  he  is 
representing  Elihu,  and  speaks  in  his  own  vein.  It  is  evident 
that  he  had  very  little  power  to  delineate  character,  or  to  go  out 
of  himself  into  the  person  of  another. 

It  is  rather  evidence  of  skill  in  the  poet,  that  he  renders  the 
sublime  manifestation  and  the  impressive  language  of  the  Deity 
more  striking  by  contrasting  with  them  the  egotistic  flourish  and 
self-confidence  with  which  young  Elihu  commences  his  discourse, 
and  which  he   occasionally  manifests   in   other  parts    of  it.     In 


20  INTRODUCTION    TO 

regard  to  favorite  expressions,  and  the  reminiscences  of  the  lan- 
guage of  the  other  speakers,  I  think  they  are  circumstances  of 
very  little  importance.  They  may,  at  any  rate,  be  the  result 
of  design,  as  part  of  the  manner  of  Elihu ;  or  they  may  be  the 
result  of  inadvertence. 

It  is  objected,  secondly,  that  the  speech  of  Elihu  weakens  the 
speeches  of  Job  and  of  the  Deity,  in  chap,  xxix.,  xxx.,  xxxi., 
xxxviii.,  &c. ;  obscures  the  relation  in  which  these  stand  to  each 
other ;  and,  in  part,  anticipates  the  thoughts  which  that  of  the 
Deity  contains.  We  have  already  made  some  reply  to  this  by 
the  observation,  that  the  majesty  of  the  Divine  appearance  is 
heightened  by  contrast  with  the  language  of  Elihu.  It  may  be 
observed,  too,  that  all  the  speakers  have  more  or.  less  anticipated 
the  argument  of  the  Deity,  and  could  not  well  say  any  thing  of  the 
Creator  or  his  works  without  doing  it.  But,  as  a  whole,  the  speech 
of  the  Deity  is  remarkably  distinguished  from  those  of  the  other 
speakers.  As  to  the  interruption  of  the  connection  between  the 
speech  of  Job  and  that  of  the  Deity,  it  is  not  a  very  important 
circumstance.  Let  it  be  conceded,  for  the  sake  of  argument,  that 
the  omission  of  the  speech  of  Elihu  would  contribute  to  the  per- 
fection of  the  work,  or  that  it  is  in  itself  somewhat  inferior  to 
other  parts  of  it.  What  then  ?  Why  is  it  assumed  that  this  poem 
must  be  a  perfect  production  ?  Do  not  modern  critics  and  re- 
viewers imagine,  that  they  can  improve  many  of  the  productions 
of  genius  by  the  addition  of  a  part  here,  or  the  subtraction  of 
a  part  there?  Some  portions  of  "Paradise  Lost"  are  inferior  in 
strength  and  majesty  to  others,  and  the  inferiority  of  "Paradise 
Regained"  is  generally  recognized.  But  no  one  thinks  of  doubt- 
ing their  genuineness  on  this  account.  Besides,  the  author  does 
give  in  EHhu's  discourse  one  view  of  the  cause  of  human  suffer- 
ing which  is  not  distinctly  stated  elsewhere.  (See  chap,  xxxiii. 
14-28.)  He  might  be  expected  to  give  it.  For  the  doctrine  of 
the  beneficent  design  of  affliction  is  found  in  parts  of  the  Old 
Testament  older  than  the  Book  of  Job. 

It  is  objected,  in  the  next  place,  that  Elihu  perverts  the  lan- 
guage of  Job ;  a  thing  which  would  have  been  done  only  by  a 
person  who  was  not  the  author  of  the  work."  To  this  it  may  be 
replied,  that  though  the  particular  passages,  which  Elihu  pre- 


THEBOOKOFJOB.  21 

tends  to  quote,  are  somewhat  misstated,  yet  he  hardly  ascribes  to 
Job  more  objectionable  sentiments  than  he  had  elsewhere  ex- 
pressed, as  in  chap.  xxi.  Besides,  it  is  not  unnatural  in  a  disputant, 
especially  a  young  one,  to  misapprehend  a  question,  or  to  mis- 
state the  language  of  an  opponent. 

It  is  said,  again,  that  Elihu  receives  no  answer.  I  apprehend 
that  it  was  agreeable  to  Eastern  feelings  that  such  a  forward 
young  man  should  receive  no  answer.  At  any  rate,  this  objection 
has  little  weight.  For  answers  must  come  to  an  end  at  some 
time  or  other.  It  is  said  also,  that  Job  is  mentioned  by  name 
in  the  speech  of  Elihu,  and  not  elsewhere.  But  surely  so  un- 
important a  circumstance,  occurring  in  a  speech  where  difference 
of  manner  was  to  be  expected,  affords  very  slight  ground  for 
suspecting  its  genuineness. 

Again,  it  is  said,  Elihu  is  not  mentioned  in  the  prologue  and 
epilogue.  It  is  sufficient  answer  to  this  to  say,  that  the  author 
thought  it  proper  to  have  but  three  speakers  in  the  principal  part 
of  the  debate,  and  to  give  a  special  introduction  to  Elihu  in  chap, 
xxxii.  His  judgment  on  this  point  may  not  have  been  as  good  as 
that  of  his  modern  critics  ;  but  I  see  not  why  we  should  alter  the 
plan  of  his  book  on  this  account.  As  to  the  fact  that  Elihu  is  not 
mentioned  in  the  epilogue,  it  may  have  been  for  the  reason  above 
assigned  for  his  receiving  no  reply  from  Job  ;  or  because  nothing 
occurred  to  the  author  which  was  particularly  appropriate  to  be 
said  to  him. 

Lastly,  it  is  asserted  by  Davidson,  exaggerating  what  has  been 
adduced  by  Heiligstedt,  that  "  expressions,  word-forms,  modes 
of  speech  occur,  for  which  others  are  as  uniformly  found  in  the 
older  work."  If  this  broad  statement  were  well  supported,  it 
would  undoubtedly  form  a  strong  argument  against  the  genuine- 
ness of  Elihu's  speech.  But  the  instances  which  he  cites  are 
very  far  from  sustaining  it.  In  the  first  place,  the  whole  book 
contains  peculiar  forms  inclining  to  the  Aramasan,  as  has  been 
remarked  by  Gesenius,*  De  Wette,t  and  others,  so  that  they 
have  referred  the  whole  book  to  the  Chaldee  period. J     In  its 

*  Gesch.  d.  Heb.  Spr.,  §  33.  f  Einleit.,  §  291. 

t  See  Int.,  p.  26. 


22  INTRODUCTION    TO 

Aramaean  character,  generally,  the  speech  of  Elihu  agrees  with 
the  whole  book.  Secondly,  the  particular  instances  adduced  by 
Davidson  are  of  very  little  weight.  Thus  ^%  knowledge^  instead 
of  ny^.  But  Elihu  uses  the  latter  word  in  chap,  xxxiii.  3,  and 
xxxiv.  35.  So  that  the  same  argument  will  prove  the  speech  of 
Elihu  itsell  to  have  had  two  authors.  It  is  not  improbable  that 
^^1,  my  knowledge,  was  used  for  *^tl3>5,  for  the  sake  of  euphony. 

Another  instance  is  ^^"3,  used  in  the  singular  to  denote  youth. 
But  the  word  is  not  used  in  the  plural  in  any  part  of  the  book. 
Of  course  it  proves  nothing.     It  is  also  found  in  the  singular  in^ 
Ps.  Ixxxviii.  15. 

Another  instance  is  15^.  but,  in  chap,  xxxii.  8.  But  the  word 
is  used  in  this  sense  in  Ps.  xxxi.  23,  Lxxxii.  7,  and  Isa.  xlix.  4. 
How  this  instance  proves  any  thing,  I  am  unable  to  see. 

Another  instance  is  b^3>,  said  to  be  used  for  nb"]?,  iu  chap, 
xxxiv.  10.  But  the  same  form  is  found  in  Ps.  vii.  4,  liii.  2,  and 
Ezek.  iii.  20.  So  one  form  of  the  root  denoting  iniquity  is  used 
in  Job  v.  1,  6 ;  and  another,  in  xi.  29.  Thus  there  is  no  reason 
whatever  why  Elihu  should  not  have  used  ^15,  or  fl^l?,  at  pleas- 
ure. 

Another  instance  is  the  use  of  the  singular  tT^n,  to  denote  life, 
in  chap,  xxxiii.,  instead  of  the  plural  fi'^'^tT,  which  occurs  two  or 
three  times  in  other  parts  of  the  book.  It  occurs,  however,  in 
Ezek.  vii.  13.  As  this  is  a  famihar  word,  it  must  be  admitted 
that  its  constant  use  in  the  singular  in  the  speech  of  Elihu  is 
something  which  could  hardly  be  expected  from  the  writer  of  the 
other  parts  of  the  book.  But  stranger  things  than  this  are  found 
in  writings  all  the  parts  of  which  are  of  undisputed  genuineness. 
I  can  by  no  means  allow  to  this  instance  a  conclusive  force. 

I  have  examined  all  the  instances  brought  forward  by  David- 
son, and  cannot  find  any  of  them  to  be  more  conclusive  against 
the  genuineness  of  Elihu's  speech  than  the  preceding.  It  seems  to 
me  that  they  are  of  no  great  significance.  Generally  speaking, 
an  argument  of  this  kind  should  be  founded  on  very  familiar 
phrases,  which  a  writer  has  frequent  occasion  to  use,  and  which 
he  uses  from  habit.     An  author  may  use  one  word  here,  and 


THE    BOOK    OF    JOB.  23 

another  there,  to  express  the  same  meaning,  either  for  the  sake 
of  variety  or  of  euphony,  or  without  any  particular  motive. 

On  the  whole,  if  it  were  even  admitted,  what  I  have  no  inclina- 
tion to  deny,  that  the  style  of  Elihu  is  so  diverse  from  that  of  the 
rest  of  the  poem  as  to  be  somewhat  remarkable,  or  not  wholly 
explained  by  what  has  been  said,  yet,  when  we  consider  the  strong 
presumption  that  such  a  work  as  the  Book  of  Job  would  not  be 
tampered  with  by  his  countrymen,  and  especially  by  a  poet  of  no 
mean  pretensions,  I  cannot  help  doubting  whether  there  is  suffi- 
cient reason  for  rejecting  the  passages  under  consideration.  I 
can  well  conceive  of  additions  being  made  to  annals  or  history. 
It  is  also  true  that  some  whole  compositions,  or  independent  por- 
tions, of  the  Old  Testament  are  ascribed  to  those  who  did  not 
write  them.  This  was  the  case  with  many  of  the  Psalms,  Ecclesi- 
astes,  the  Book  of  Daniel,  and  with  several  prophecies  in  the 
Book  of  Isaiah.  But  this  is  a  very  different  thing  from  introduc- 
ing so  large  an  addition  into  the  midst  of  one  poetical  composition. 
It  is  easy  to  conceive  that  compositions  should  be  ascribed  to 
Homer,  Virgil,  Milton,  Shakspeare,  which  they  did  not  write. 
But  that  one  should  undertake  to  make  an  interpolation  of  many 
pages  into  the  very  midst  of  one  of  the  best  poems  of  either 
of  these  writers,  is  much  more  improbable,  both  on  account  of 
want  of  sufficient  motive,  the  difficulty  of  executing  the  design, 
and  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  the  reception  by  his  contemporaries 
of  such  an  interpolation.  It  appears  to  me  that  a  Jew,  and  espe- 
cially a  Jewish  poet,  must  have  had  too  great  a  reverence  for  this 
noble  production  to  undertake  to  improve  it  by  such  an  addition, 
and  that  the  early  readers  of  the  work  would  not  have  given  it 
a  universal  reception.  While,  therefore,  I  readily  concede  some 
degree  of  inferiority,  in  parts  of  Elihu's  speech,  to  other  portions 
of  the  book,  in  respect  to  poetic  merit,  I  think  it  is  not  of  so 
very  extraordinary  and  marked  a  nature,  so  different  from  what 
occurs  in  the  works  of  other  poets,  as  to  be  unaccountable  except 
on  the  supposition  of  the  spuriousness  of  the  speech.  I  well 
know  what  a  weight  of  modem  critical  authority  is  against  me 
on  this  point.  This  consideration,  I  am  free  to  acknowledge, 
weakens,  in  what  is  partly  a  matter  of  taste,  my  confidence  in 
my  own  view  of  the  subject,  but  does  not  destroy  it.     At  any 


24  INTRODUCTION    TO 

rate,  as  the  current  of  modern  criticism  is  against  the  opinion 
here  expressed,  I  shall  not  regret,  in  a  matter  of  very  little 
moment,  to  have  stated  the  reasons  for  holding  fast  the  integrity 
of  the  book,  even  if  they  should  be  deemed  unsatisfactory. 

As  to  the  country  of  Job,  or,  in  other  words,  the  scene  of  the 
poem,  there  has  been  a  diversity  of  opinion  amongst  distinguished 
scholars.  I  was  formerly  inclined  to  adopt  the  opinion  of  those 
who  supposed  it  to  be  Idumsea.  I  now  think,  that  Lam.  iv.  21, 
wliich  at  first  view  seems  to  favor  this  supposition,  in  fact  indi- 
cates that  the  land  of  Uz  was  not  a  part  of  Idumaea,  and  that  the 
prophet  speaks  of  the  Edomites  as  having  gained  possession  of  a 
country  which  did  not  belong  to  them.  "  It  appears  to  me,  too, 
that  Jer.  xxv.  20,  is  also  decisive  of  the  question ;  else  why  does 
the  prophet  speak  of  the  kings  of  the  land  of  Uz  and  of  Edom,  in 
the  next  verse,  as  separate  nations,  to  whom  he  was  to  extend  the 
cup  of  indignation? 

I  now  think  it  more  probable,  that  the  land  of  Uz  was  in  the 
north-eastern  part  of  Arabia  Deserta,  between  Palestine,  Idumtea, 
and  the  Euphrates.  Ptolemy  speaks  of  a  tribe  in  this  region, 
called  'kLacuTOL,  which  may  perhaps  have  been  written  'kvclTai  (see 
Ros.  Com.  in  Job,  p.  30)  ;  and  the  Septuagint  renders  Uz,  'Avalm. 
This  country  would  then  be  near  the  Chaldaeans  and  Sabaeans,  by 
whose  incursions  the  property  of  Job  is  said  to  have  been  lost. 
It  is  more  properly  entitled  to  the  appellation  of  the  East  than 
Idumasa,  which  was  nearly  south  of  Palestine.  The  beautiful 
valley  of  Damascus,  which  Jahn  supposes  to  have  been  the  country 
of  Job,  could  hardly  have  been  so  extensive  as  to  account  for  the 
expression,  "  all  the  kings  of  the  land  of  Uz,"  in  Jer.  xxv.  20. 

A  more  interesting  question  remains  to  be  spoken  of;  namely, 
in  what  country  and  in  what  age  did  the  author  live  ^ 

I  shall  not  enter  into  a  discussion  of  the  various  conjectures 
which  have  been  oifered  in  regard  to  the  author  of  the  book. 
Why  should  we  seek  to  form  an  opinion,  where  there  are  abso- 
lutely no  data  on  which  to  ground  it  ?  To  me  it  seems  highly 
probable,  that  the  author  of  this  incomparable  production  was  one 
of  whom  we  have  no  records  and  no  other  remains.     The  opinions 


THEBOOKOFJOB.  25 

of  those  who  have  undertaken  to  name  the  author  are  widely 
diverse.  Lowth  attributes  it  to  Job  himself;  Lightfoot  and 
others  attribute  it  to  Elihu ;  some  of  the  Rabbinical  writers,  as 
also  Kennieott,  Michaelis,  Dathe,  and  Good,  to  Moses ;  Luther, 
Grotius,  and  Doderlein,  to  Solomon ;  while  Warburton  ascribes 
it  to  Ezra. 

Respecting  the  age  in  which  the  author  lived,  it  might  seem, 
at  first  view,  that  some  judgment  could  be  formed  on  internal 
grounds.  But,  in  consequence  of  our  imperfect  acquaintance  with 
the  state  of  civilization,  knowledge,  opinions,  and  manners  in 
ancient  times,  it  is  difficult  to  form  a  satisfactory  opinion  on  the 
subject. 

Some  eminent  scholars,  as  Lowth,  Eichhorn,  and  Ilgen,  have 
supposed  that  the  author  lived  before  the  settlement  of  the  Israel- 
ites in  the  land  of  Canaan.  The  principal  argument  in  favor  of 
this  opinion  is  the  absence  of  allusions  to  the  institutions,  rites, 
and  ceremonies  introduced  by  Moses,  and  to  remarkable  events  in 
the  history  of  the  Jewish  nation.  This  argument  would  be  more 
satisfactory,  if  the  characters,  as  well  as  the  author,  of  the  work, 
had  been  Hebrews.  But  as  they  were  Arabians,  who  had  nothing 
to  do  with  the  institutions  of  Moses,  it  is  plain  that  a  writer  of 
genius  would  not  have  been  guilty  of  the  absurdity  of  putting  the 
sentiments  of  a  Jew  into  the  mouth  of  an  Arabian,  at  least  so  far 
as  relates  to  such  tangible  matters  as  institutions,  positive  laws, 
ceremonies,  and  history.  To  me  it  seems  that  the  author  has 
manifested  abundant  evidence  of  genius  and  skill  in  the  structure 
and  execution  of  the  work,  to  account  for  his  not  having  given  to 
Arabians  the  obvious  peculiarities  of  Hebrews  who  lived  under 
the  institutions  of  Moses,  at  whatever  period  it  may  have  been 
written.  Even  if  the  characters  of  the  book  had  been  Hebrews, 
the  argument  under  consideration  would  not  have  been  perfectly 
conclusive ;  for,  from  the  nature  of  the  subject,  we  might  have 
expected  as  little  in  it  that  was  Levitical  or  grossly  Jewish  as  in  the 
Book  of  Proverbs  or  of  Ecclesiastes,  or  in  several  of  the  Proph- 
ets. A  poet  may  nominally  belong  to  a  church  of  forms  and  cere- 
monies, and  yet  give  very  little  evidence  of  it  in  his  compositions. 
The  argument  for  the  Antemosaic  origin  of  the  book  seems,  there- 

2 


26  INTRODUCTION    TO 

fore,  wholly  destitute  of  weight.  On  the  contrary,  we  find  a  very 
strong  argument  against  that  opinion  in  the  abstruse  nature  of  its 
subject,  and  its  speculative  and  philosopliical  spirit,  which  seem 
to  imply  a  stage  of  civilization  and  a  state  of  society  different 
from  what  we  suppose  to  have  existed  among  the  wandering 
Jews  to  whom  Moses  gave  the  law  upon  Sinai.  It  is  to  be  kept 
in  mind  that  the  poet  wrote  for  his  contemporaries,  and  that 
the  spirit  of  the  reader  as  well  as  of  the  writer  must  be  reflected 
from  the  work.  It  was  agreeable  to  the  spirit  of  Moses  to  say. 
Thus  saith  Jehovah,  Ye  shall  do  this,  and.  Ye  shall  not  do  that; 
and  to  accompany  these  commands  and  prohibitions  with  the  most 
terrible  sanctions,  rather  than  to  indulge  in  such  bold  speculations 
as  are  contained  in  this  book.*  A  very  different  kind  of  poetry, 
if  any  could  have  existed  at  that  time,  seems  also  to  be  proper  to 
the  circumstances  of  the  Jews  in  and  before  the  age  of  Moses. 
There  is  more  uncertainty  in  regard  to  particular  religious  con- 
ceptions. Those  respecting  angels,  contained  in  the  following 
verses,  are  supposed  by  De  Wette  to  be  inconsistent  with  those 
of  the  Mosaic  age  :  iv.  18  ;  v.  1  ;  xv.  15  ;  xxi.  22  ;  xxxiii.  23,  &c.  ; 
xxxviii.  7,  comp.  i.  7,  ii.  2,  &c.  But  it  may  be  doubted  whether 
this  argument  is  valid.  The  manners  and  condition  of  society 
referred  to  or  implied  in  some,  at  least,  of  the  following  passages, 
adduced  by  De  Wette,  seem  to  point  to  a  much  later  period  of 
Jewish  history  than  the  Antemosaic  or  the  Mosaic  age.  It  strikes 
me  as  rather  inconsistent  with  the  simplicity  of  the  patriarchal  age, 
that  Job  should  be  represented  as  the  ruler  or  judge  of  a  city, 
chap.  xxix.  7,  8,  9 ;  that  there  should  be  an  allusion  to  the  writ- 
ten sentence  of  a  judge,  chap.  xiii.  26  ;  to  the  signing  of  a  bill  of 
defence  or  complaint,  to  be  brought  into  court,  chap.  xxxi.  35 ; 
to  the  recording  of  facts  in  a  register  or  book-roll,  or  upon  tab- 
lets of  stone,  chap.  xix.  23,  24 ;  to  the  custom  of  holding  courts 
in  the  gates  of  walled  cities,  chap.  v.  4,  xxix.  7 ;  to  desolate 
cities,  chap.  xv.  28;  to  cities,  chap.  xxiv.  12,  xxxix.  7;  to  vari- 
ous kinds  of  armor,  chap.  xx.  24,  25,  and  to  the  war-horse,  chap. 
xxxix.  21-25;  to  splendid  palaces  or  tombs,  chap.  iii.  14;  to  the 
deposition  of  kings,  chap.  xii.  18 ;  to  the  laying-up  of  wealth  in 

*  See  Exod.  xx.  5. 


THEBOOKOFJOB.  27 

the  form  of  money,  chap.  xx.  15,  xxii,  24,  xxiii.  10,  xxvil.  16, 
xxxi,  24 ;  and  to  mining  operations,  in  chap,  xxviii.  These  allu- 
sions may  not  be  perfectly  conclusive.  Modern  discoveries  re- 
specting the  ancient  Egyptian  civilization  lessen  in  some  degree 
their  conclusiveness ;  but  they  certainly  do  not  well  harmonize 
with  our  notions  of  the  life  and  manners  of  the  Hebrew  patriarchs 
before  the  time  of  Moses.     They  suggest  to  us  a  later  age. 

In  regard  to  the  age  of  Solomon,  or  the  period  which  inter- 
venes between  Solomon  and  the  captivity  at  Babylon,  which  Is 
assigned  to  it  by  some  writers,  there  is  no  very  decisive  objection. 
Even  if  the  Avork  is  supposed  to  have  a  national  object,  or 
to  have  been  designed  for  the  encouragement  and  consolation 
of  the  Jewish  people  as  a  nation,  while  in  a  state  of  calamity, 
there  are  several  periods  before  the  captivity  when  such  a  work 
would  have  been  appropriate ;  for  instance,  the  period  of  Habak- 
kuk,  whose  expostulation  with  the  Deity,  and  what  follows  in  his 
prophecy,  have  a  resemblance  to  the  subject  and  sentiments 
of  the  Book  of  Job.  There  is  no  necessity,  however,  for  suppos- 
ing the  work  to  have  a  national  object.  If  this  had  been  the 
case,  I  think  it  would  have  been  made  more  distinctly  to  appear 
by  the  author.  The  subject  is  one  which  the  vicissitudes  of 
individual  experience  render  as  interesting  and  pertinent  In  the 
highest  period  of  national  prosperity  as  at  the  lowest  point  of 
national  depression. 

There  is  one  consideration,  however,  which  has  inclined  the 
best  Hebrew  scholars,  of  late,  to  assign  the  period  of  the  cap- 
tivity at  Babylon  as  the  age  of  the  author  of  Job ;  namely,  the 
Chaldaizing  character  of  the  language ;  for  instance,  nDS?.  to 
answer,  applied  to  one  who  begins  a  discourse.  The  plural  form 
of  r!3'^,  X^\'^  ;  C^II/ljP,  the  holy  ones,  applied  to  angels  ;  iri'l",  xvi. 
19  ;  tpjr\,  xiv.  20,  xv.  24;  ftn,  xxi.  21,  xxii.  3  ;  {13^,  vii.  3  ;  rr:, 
not,  xvi.  6  (comp.  xxxi.  1);  'iSSp  for  '^STp,  xviii.  2  ;  "\^r\  for  "])!,  xli. 
4 ;  rf  as  a  prefix,  xix.  29,  &c. ;  ^'^^j  to  command.  From  these  and 
other  instances,  Gesenius,  De  Wette,  and  Umbreit  have  referred 
the  Book  of  Job  to  the  time  of  the  captivity  ;  a  period  assigned  to 
it  by  Le  Clerc,  Warburton,  Heath,  Garnet,  and  Rabbi  Jochanan 


28  INTRODUCTION    TO 

among  the  older  critics.  But  from  the  few  remains  of  Hebrew 
literature  which  have  come  down  to  us,  and  our  imperfect  acquaint- 
ance with  the  history  of  the  language,  it  follows,  that  it  is  by  no 
means  certain  that  the  words  and  forms  above  mentioned  may  not 
have  been  in  use  in  some  parts  of  Judea  before  the  time  of  the 
captivity,  id  as  a  prefix  occurs  in  the  Book  of  Judges.  (See 
vV  17.) 

The  introduction  of  Satan,  in  the  historical  introduction  in 
prose,  is  certainly  a  strong  argument  against  the  high  antiquity  of 
the  work.  For  there  is  no  mention  of  such  a  being,  by  the  name 
of  Satan,  in  any  of  the  Hebrew  writings  composed  before  the 
exile  in  Babylon ;  and  there  is  some  reason,  though  not  absolutely 
conclusive,  for  believing  that  it  was  from  the  Chaldaeans  that  the 
Jews  derived  the  conception  of  such  a  being.  This  argument,  if 
founded  on  correct  premises,  seems  to  be  conclusive  against  the 
high  antiquity  of  the  work.  For  it  is  hardly  credible  that  the 
Hebrews  should  have  had  the  conception  of  an  evil  spirit  before 
the  time  of  Moses,  and  that  it  should  not  once  occur  in  the  writings 
which  preceded  the  exile.  But  it  may  be  doubted  whether  this 
argument  be  conclusive  against  the  supposition  that  the  Book  of 
Job  was  written  a  short  time  before  the  exile.  As  to  the  opinion 
of  Schultens,  Herder,  Dathe,  Eichhorn,  and  others,  that  the 
Satan  of  the  Book  of  Job  was  a  good  angel,  it  is  now  universally 
rejected  as  untenable. 

The  question  may  be  asked,  whether  the  perfection  of  the  work 
is  not  inconsistent  with  the  state  of  Hebrew  literature  during  the 
captivity.  Notwithstanding  the  strong  language  of  Bishop  Lowth 
on  this  point,  I  think  it  may  justly  be  inferred  from  the  psalms 
composed  during  this  period,  and  from  the  ungenuine  Isaiah,  that 
this  question  should  be  answered  in  the  negative.  (See  Ps. 
cxxxvii. ;  also  Isa.  xl.-lxvi.) 

On  the  whole,  it  appears  to  me  that  there  are  no  data  upon 
which  one  can  form  a  very  confident  opinion  in  regard  to  the  pre- 
cise age  of  the  Book  of  Job.  The  latest  period  assigned  for  it 
appears  to  me  far  more  probable  than  the  earliest,  and  indeed  the 
most  probable  ;  but  that  it  may  not  have  been  written  some  time 
between  the  age  of  Solomon  and  the  captivity  is  more  than  any 
one,  who  has  surveyed  the  subject  carefully,  will  with  confidence 


THE    BOOK    OF    JOB.  29 

assert.  If  a  time  of  national  distress  is  deemed  probable,  why 
should  not  the  period  of  the  Assyrian  invasion,  or  that  which 
followed  it,  have  given  birth  to  the  work  ? 

One  more  point  remains  to  be  considered ;  namely,  the  country 
of  the  author  of  the  Book  of  Job.  For  it  has  been  maintained 
that  he  was  not  a  Hebrew,  but  an  Arabian  ;  and  that  the  work  is  a 
translation  from  the  Arabic. 

In  opposition  to  this  opinion,  it  is  to  be  observed  in  the  first 
place,  that  there  is  no  external  evidence  in  favor  of  it.  The  work 
is  now  found  in  Hebrew  alone,  in  the  collection  of  what  remains 
of  ancient  Hebrew  literature ;  a  collection  which  has  been  held 
sacred  by  the  Jews  as  far  back  as  we  can  trace  their  sentiments 
respecting  it.  Nor  is  there  any  history  or  tradition  which  inti- 
mates that  the  work  ever  existed  in  a  different  language. 

It  is  found,  too,  in  the  sacred  literature  of  a  people  peculiarly 
proud  of  their  religious  prerogatives,  and  regarding  with  cold- 
ness or  jealousy,  and  often  with  aversion  or  hatred,  all  other 
nations.  It  is  extremely  improbable  that  any  Jew  would  have 
had  the  inclination  to  transfer  the  production  of  a  heathen  into 
the  Jewish  literature,  or  that  he  would  have  been  permitted  to 
do  it. 

In  the  next  place,  the  work  is  not  only  in  the  Hebrew  language, 
but  in  the  best  style  of  Hebrew  composition.  The  parallelism  is 
uniform  and  well  sustained ;  the  sentences  are  pointed ;  the  style 
is  fresh  and  vigorous,  and  bears  not,  in  its  general  characteristics, 
the  slightest  mark  of  a  translation. 

In  opposition,  then,  to  the  external  evidence,  and  to  the  gen- 
eral style  of  the  composition,  what  are  the  reasons  which  have 
induced  some  distinguished  men  in  modern  times  to  regard  the 
work  as  the  production  of  an  Arabian,  and  as  translated  from  the 
Arabic  ? 

They  are,  in  the  first  place,  the  words,  occurring  in  it  more 
frequently  than  in  other  books  of  the  Old  Testament,  which  are 
regarded  as  Arabic  in  a  Hebrew  dress,  or  which  may  be  illustrated 
from  the  Arabic.  But  these  words  are  very  few  in  relation  to  the 
whole  work,  and  are  not  the  less  Hebrew  because  they  may  be 
illustrated  from  the  Arabic.     With  the  exception  of  the  few  forms 


80  INTRODUCTION    TO 

wliicli  resemble  the  Aramaean,  the  Book  of  Job  is  in  as  pure 
Hebrew  as  any  other  part  of  the  Scriptures.  It  appears  to  me 
that  the  remark  of  Jahn  is  perfectly  just  and  satisfactory  in  regard 
to  this  topic :  "  It  is  not  at  all  surprising,  that  in  a  lofty  poem  we 
find  many  of  the  less  common  words  and  ideas,  which  the  He- 
brew, through  the  poverty  of  its  literature,  has  lost ;  while  they 
have  been  preserved  by  the  Arabic,  the  richest  of  the  sister  dia- 
lects."* 

It  has  been  said,  that,  if  the  author  had  been  a  Hebrew,  mort-. 
of  a  Levitical  or  ritual  character  would  have  been  found  in  tlie 
book.  This  consideration  seems  to  me  to  have  a  satisfactory 
answer  in  what  has  been  said  in  pp.  23-27  against  the  high 
antiquity  of  the  poem. 

The  other  argument,  in  support  of  the  opinion  that  an  Arabian 
was  the  author  of  the  poem,  is  drawn  from  the  various  allusions 
to  Arabian  manners  and  customs  which  are  scattered  through  it. 
In  regard  to  this  argument,  there  are  two  things  to  be  observed. 
First,  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  the  manners  of  the  Jews,  in 
some  parts  of  Palestine,  very  much  resembled  those  of  the  Arabs. 
As  they  sprang  from  the  same  stock,  why  should  this  not  be  the 
case,  except  so  far  as  the  Jews  were  distinguished  by  their  reli- 
gious institutions  ? 

We  are  apt  to  form  our  conceptions  of  the  whole  Jewish  nation 
from  what  we  learn,  in  the  Scriptures,  of  the  inhabitants  of  cities, 
of  Jerusalem  in  particular.  It  is  to  be  recollected  that  the  He- 
brews were  originally  and  "essentially  a  nomadic  people;  their 
fathers,  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  had  ever  been  so  ;  they  were 
emphatically  Bedouins,  removing  with  their  flocks  and  herds  from 
place  to  place,  as  occasion  might  require.  In  Egypt  they  had 
ever  been  shepherds,  —  their  province  of  Goshen  was  adapted  to 
pasturage,  and  not  to  tillage  ;  and  now,  when  they  had  come  out 
into  the  deserts,  with  their  flocks  and  herds,  they  were  still  the 
nomadic  race  they  had  ever  been,  —  a  people  resembling  those  by 
whom  these  desert  plains  and  valleys  and  mountains  are  pos- 
sessed to  this  day."  f     It  is  not  singular  that  the  manners  of 

*  Jahn's  Introduction,  §  196. 

t  See  Bibhcal  Repository,  No.  VIII.  p.  787. 


THEBOOKOPJOB.  31 

Bedouins   should   have   been   in   a   measure    retained    by   those 
Hebrews  who  dwelt  out  of  cities. 

It  follows  from  the  preceding  consideration,  that  the  author  of 
Job,  having  determined  to  make  his  characters  Arabians,  and  to 
lay  the  scene  of  his  work  in  Arabia,  would  find  no  difficulty  in 
suiting  the  manners  and  sentiments  of  his  characters,  and  his 
local  allusions,  to  the  scene  which  he  had  chosen;  so  that  his  only 
difficulty  would  be  to  exclude  from  his  work  obvious  references  to 
the  Jewish  history  and  religion.  If,  in  addition  to  tliis,  we  sup- 
pose, what  is  perfectly  reasonable,  that  the  Hebrew  philosopher 
had,  like  Plato,  travelled  into  Egypt  and  through  Arabia  for  the 
purpose  of  enriching  his  mind  with  all  the  knowledge  of  those 
countries,  I  think  we  shall  find  no  difficulty  in  the  supposition, 
that  a  Hebrew,  of  such  genius  and  skill  as  are  manifested  in  this 
work,  might  have  been  the  author  of  it.  A  recent  commentator 
on  Job,  Hirzel,  has  conjectured  that  the  author  was  a  Hebrew 
captive,  carried  into  Egypt  by  Pharaoh  Necho.  (See  2  Kings 
xxiii.  29,  &c.) 

But  this  is  not  all.  It  seems  to  me,  that  though  Arabian  man- 
ners and  scenes  are  the  superficial  characteristics  of  the  work, 
yet,  in  its  general  spirit,  and  in  many  less  obvious  characteristics, 
the  author  has  manifestly  shown  himself  to  be  a  Hebrew  poet. 
The  very  subject  of  the  work  is  just  what  might  have  been  ex- 
pected to  arrest  the  attention  of  a  Hebrew  philosopher,  educated 
in  the  religion  of  Moses.  It  is  similar  to  that  of  other  Hebrew 
compositions,  as  has  been  observed  before.*  In  fact,  if  we  regard 
the  spirit  and  scope  of  the  work,  the  remark  of  De  Wette  appears 
not  too  strong,  that  it  is  Hebrew  through  and  through. 

There  are  also  many  particular  sentiments  which  we  know  to 
be  appropriate  to  a  Hebrew,  possessing  an  acquaintance  with  the 
Hebrew  literature  and  religion,  and  which  we  do  not  know  to 
have  been  appropriate  to  an  Arabian.     Such  are  the  followino-, 
which  are  more  or  less  satisfactory.     Chap.  ix.  5-9  ;  xii.  10;  xv.  7 
xxvi.  5,  &c. ;  xxxviii.  4,  &c. ;  — iv.  19  ;  x.  9  ;  xxvii.  3  ;  — iv.  17 
&c. ;  viii.  9  ;  ix.  2  ;  xiii.  26  ;  xiv.  4  ;  xv,  14  ;  xxv.  4,  6  ;  — iv.  18 
V.  1;  XV.  15;  xxi.  22;  xxxviii.  7; — xxxi.  26,  27;  —  vii.  7,  &c.\ 

*  Page  8 


32  INTRODUCTION    TO 

X.  21,  &c. ;  XIV.  10,  &c, ;  xvi.  22  ;  xxx.  23  ;  xxxviii  17.  Add  to 
these  the  mention  of  the  Jordan  as  an  instance  of  a  great  stream 
(chap.  xl.  23),  and  the  use  of  the  name  of  Jehovah  in  the  intro- 
duction and  conclusion  of  the  work.  The  sentiments  and  some 
of  the  expressions  which  are  contained  in  the  preceding  refer- 
ences are  also  common  in  other  parts  of  the  Scriptures.  Some  of 
the  sentiments  may,  it  is  true,  have  been  held  by  the  Arabians  in 
common  with  the  Hebrews ;  but  we  do  not  know  it.  The  pre- 
sumption, therefore,  is,  that  they  proceeded  from  one  who  was 
familiar  with  Hebrew  literature ;  that  is,  from  a  Hebrew. 

The  following  instance  of  resemblance  to  passages  in  the 
Psalms  and  Proverbs  are  also  of  weight  with  those  who  do  not 
believe  that  the  work  is  of  very  high  antiquity,  and  translated 
and  incorporated  into  the  Hebrew  literature  so  early  that  the 
authors  of  the  Psalms  and  Proverbs  borrowed  from  it.  To  me  it 
seems  more  probable,  that  these  common  thoughts  and  peculiar 
expressions  indicate  only  that  the  books  in  which  they  occur 
belong  to  a  common  literature,  the  literature  of  the  same  nation. 
Chap.  V.  16,  xxii.  19,  comp.  Ps.  cvii.  42.  Chap.  xii.  21,  24,  comp. 
Ps.  cvii.  40.  Chap.  xiii.  5,  comp.  Prov.  xvii.  28.  Chap.  xv.  16, 
xxxiv.  7,  comp.  Prov.  xxvi.  6.  Chap.  xxii.  29,  comp.  Prov.  xvi.  18, 
xviii.  12,  xxix.  23.  Chap.  xxvi.  5,  comp.  Prov.  ii.  18,  xxi.  16. 
Chap.  xxvi.  6,  comp.  Prov.  xv.  11.  Chap,  xxvii.  16,  &c.,  comp. 
Prov.  xxviii.  8.  Chap,  xxviii.  18,  comp.  Prov.  viii.  11.  Chap, 
xxviii.  28,  comp.  Prov.  i.  7.  M^r^iTl,  chap.  v.  12,  vi.  13,  xi.  6,  xii.  16, 

xxvi.  3,  xxx.  22,  comp.  Prov.  ii.  7,  iii.  21,  viii.  14,  xviii.  1.  M^n* 
chap.  vi.  2,  xxx.  13,  comp.  Prov.  xix.  13.  ni^^nPl,  chap,  xxxvii. 
12,  comp.  Prov.  i.  5,  xi.  14,  and  often. 

On  the  whole,  it  appears  to  me  that  the  internal  evidence  alone 
makes  it  more  probable  that  the  author  was  a  Hebrew  than  that 
he  was  a  foreigner ;  and,  when  we  also  add  the  external  evi- 
dence in  favor  of  this  conclusion,  there  seems  to  be  very  little 
room  for  doubt. 

It  may  seem  remarkable,  that  the  author  of  a  work,  which,  for 
reach  of  thought,  richness  of  imagination,  depth  and  tenderness 
of  feeling,  and  skill  in  its  plan  and  execution,  surpasses  any  pro- 
duction of  Hebrew  literature  which  has  come  down  to  us,  should 


THE    BOOK    OF    JOB.  33 

yet  be  unknown.  But,  wlien  we  consider  the  vicissitudes  through 
which  the  Jewish  nation  has  passed,  the  wonder  is  that  we  retain 
the  work  itself. 

"But  who,"  says  the  eloquent  Herder,  "shall  answer  our 
inquiries  respecting  him  to  whose  meditations  we  are  indebted  for 
this  ancient  book,  this  justification  of  the  ways  of  God  to  man, 
and  sublime  exaltation  of  humanity ;  who  has  exhibited  them, 
too,  in  this  silent  picture,  in  the  fortunes  of  an  humble  sufferer 
clothed  in  sackcloth  and  sitting  in  ashes,  but  fired  with  the  sub- 
lime inspirations  of  his  own  wisdom  ?  Who  shall  point  us  to  the 
grave  of  him  whose  soul  kindled  with  these  divine  conceptions, 
to  whom  was  vouchsafed  such  access  to  the  counsels  of  God,  to 
angels,  and  the  souls  of  men ;  who  embraced  in  a  single  glance 
the  heavens  and  the  earth ;  and  who  could  send  forth  his  living 
spirit,  his  poetic  fire,  and  his  human  affections,  to  all  that  exists, 
from  the  land  of  the  shadow  of  death  to  the  starry  firmament,  and 
beyond  the  stars  ?  No  cypress,  flourishing  in  unfading  green, 
marks  the  place  of  his  rest.  With  his  unuttered  name  he  has  con- 
signed to  oblivion  all  that  was  earthly,  and,  leaving  his  book  for 
a  memorial  below,  is  engaged  in  a  yet  nobler  song  in  that  world 
where  the  voice  of  sorrow  and  mourning  is  unheard,  and  where 
the  morning  stars  sing  together. 

"Or,  if  he,  the  patient  sufferer,  was  here  the  recorder  of  his 
own  sufferings  and  of  his  own  triumph,  of  his  own  wisdom,  first 
victorious  in  conflict,  and  then  humbled  in  the  dust,  how  blest 
have  been  his  afflictions,  how  amply  rewarded  his  pains  !  Here, 
in  this  book,  full  of  imperishable  thought,  he  still  lives,  gives 
utterance  to  the  sorrows  of  his  heart,  and  extends  his  triumph 
over  centuries  and  continents.  Not  only,  according  to  his  wish, 
did  he  die  in  his  nest,  but  a  phoenix  has  sprung  forth  from  his 
ashes ;  and  from  his  fragrant  nest  is  diffused  an  incense  which 
gives,  and  will  for  ever  give,  reviving  energy  to  the  faint,  and 
strength  to  the  powerless.  He  has  drawn  down  the  heavens  to 
the  earth,  encamped  their  hosts  invisibly  around  the  bed  of  lan- 
guishing, and  made  the  afflictions  of  the  sufferer  a  spectacle  to 
angels ;  has  taught  that  God,  too,  looks  with  a  watchful  eye  upon 
his  creatures,  and  exposes  them  to  the  trial  of  their  integrity  for 
the  maintenance  of  his  own  truth,  and  the  promotion  of  his  own 

2* 


34         INTRODUCTION   TO   THE   BOOK    OP   JOB. 

glory.  '  Behold  !  we  count  them  happy  which  endure.  Ye  have 
heard  of  the  patience  of  Job,  and  liave  seen  the  end  of  the  Lord 
[the  happy  end  which  the  Lord  appointed  for  him],  that  the 
Lord  is  very  pitiful  and  of  tender  mercy.'"* 

In  regard  to  the  use  of  this  book,  it  is  hardly  necessary,  aftef 
what  has  been  said  of  its  character  and  design,  to  remind  the 
reader  that  the  instruction  which  it  contains  is  to  be  derived  from 
its  general  spirit  and  design  as  a  whole,  and  not  from  particular 
verses  or  passages.  Job  was  censured  by  the  Deity  for  the  rash- 
ness of  his  language ;  and  his  friends  were  condemned  by  the  same 
unerring  Judge,  as  not  having  spoken  that  which  was  right.  If 
we  regard  independent  sentences  or  speeches,  those  uttered  by 
the  friends  of  Job  must  be  regarded  as  more  consistent  with  the 
Jewish  revelation,  and  more  respectful  to  God,  than  much  of  the 
language  of  the  afflicted  sufferer.  It  was  in  the  absoluteness  of 
the  application  of  their  general  maxims  that  they  were  wrong ;  in 
endeavoring  to  prove  by  them  that  Job  was  a  bad  man  because 
he  was  miserable ;  or,  in  general,  that  misery  is  a  proof  of  guilt. 
Perhaps  the  best  lesson  to  be  derived  from  the  book  is  that  which 
is  enforced  in  the  speech  of  the  Deity ;  namely,  humility  in  view 
of  the  limited  vision  of  man,  and  submission  to  the  will  of  God 
in  view  of  the  unsearchableness  of  his  wisdom. 

Cambridge,  Oct.  14, 1866. 

*  Herder's  Spirit  of  Hebrew  Poetry,  Marsh's  Translation,  vol.  1.  p.  120. 


SYNOPSIS. 


I.  Historical  Introduction  in  Prose.    Chap.  I.,  II. 
II.  Controversy  in  Verse.    Chap.  m.-XLII.  7. 
The  speech  of  Job,  in  which  he  curses  his  birth-day,  is  suc- 
ceeded by  — 

(1)  The  First  Series  op  Controversy.    Chap.  rV.-XTV. 

1.  Speech  of  Eliphaz.    Chap.  IV.,  V. 

2.  Answer  of  Job.     Chap.  VL,  VH. 

3.  Speech  of  Bildad.     Chap.  VIH. 

4.  Answer  of  Job.     Chap.  IX.,  X. 

5.  Speech  of  Zophar.     Chap.  XI. 

6.  Answer  of  Job.     Chap.  XII.,  XIV. 

(2)  Second  Series  of  Controversy.    Chap.  XV.-XXI, 

1.  Speech  of  Eliphaz.     Chap.  XV. 

2.  Answer  of  Job.     Chap.  XVL,  XVH. 

3.  Speech  of  Bildad.     Chap.  XVm. 

4.  Answer  of  Job.     Chap.  XIX. 

5.  Speech  of  Zophar.     Chap.  XX. 

6.  Answer  of  Job.     Chap.  XXI. 

(3)  Third  Series  of  Controversy.    Chap.  XXII.-XXXI. 

1.  Speech  of  Eliphaz.     Chap.  XXIL 

2.  Answer  of  Job.     Chap.  XXIII.,  XXIV. 

3.  Speech  of  Bildad.     Chap.  XXV. 

4.  Answer  of  Job.     Chap.  XXVI.-XXXI. 

(4)  Speech  of  Elihu.     Chap.  XXXII.-XXXVII. 

(5)  The    Speech    of    the  Deity,    which   terminates    the 

Discussion.    Chap.  XXXVm.-XLn.  7. 

m.  The  Conclusion  in  Prose.     Chap.  XLII.  7  to  the  end. 

[35] 


JOB. 


I. 

Job's  trial.  —  Chap.  I.,  II. 

1  In  the  land  of  Uz  lived  a  man  whose  name  was  Job. 
He  was  an  upright  and  good  man,  fearing  God  and  depart- 

2  ing  from  evil.     He  had  seven  sons  and  three  daughters. 

3  His  substance  was  seven  thousand  sheep,  three  thousand 
camels,  five  hundred  yoke  of  oxen,  five  hundred  she-asses, 
and  a  great  number  of  servants  ;  so  that  he  was  the  greatest 
of  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  East. 

4  Now  it  was  the  custom  of  his  sons  to  make  a  feast  in 
their  houses,  each  on  his  day,  and  to  send  and  invite  their 

5  three  sisters  to  eat  and  to  drink  with  them.  And  when 
the  days  of  their  feasting  had  gone  round,  Job  used  to 
send  for  them  and  sanctify  them,  and  to  rise  up  early  in  the 
morning  and  oiFer  burnt-offerings  according  to  the  number 
of  them  all ;  for  Job  said,  It  may  be  that  my  sons  have 
sinned,  and  have  renounced  God  in  their  hearts.  Thus  did 
Job  continually. 

6  Now  on  a  certain  day  the  sons  of  God  came  to  present 
themselves  before  Jehovah,  and  Satan  also  came  among 

7  them.  And  Jehovah  said  to  Satan,  Whence  comest  thou  ? 
Then  Satan  answered  Jehovah,  and  said.  From  wander- 
ing over  the  earth,  and  walking  up  and  down  in  it.     And 

8  Jehovah  said  to  Satan,  Hast  thou  observed  my  servant 
Job,  that  there  is  none  like  him  in  the  earth,  an  upright 
and  good  man,  fearing   God    and   departing  from    evil  ? 

9  Then  Satan  answered  Jehovah,  Is  it  for  nought  that  Job 
10  feareth  God  ?     Hast  thou  not  placed  a  hedge  around  him, 

and  around  his   house,  and  around   all    his    possessions  ? 
Thou   hast   prospered   the  work   of  his   hands,  and   his 

[37] 


38  JOB.  [chap.  II. 

11  herds  are  greatly  increased  in  the  land  But  only  put 
forth   thy   hand,  and    touch  whatever  he  possesseth,  and 

12  to  thy  face  will  he  renounce  thee.  And  Jehovah  said  to 
Satan,  Behold,  all  that  he  hath  is  in  thy  power ;  but  upon 
him  lay  not  thy  hand.  So  Satan  went  forth  from  the 
presence  of  Jehovah. 

13  Now  on  a  certain  day  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Job 
were  eating  and  drinking  wine  in  their  eldest  brother's 

14  house,  when  a  messenger  came  to  Job,  and. said,  The  oxen 
were  ploughing,  and  the  asses  feeding  beside  them,  and 

15  the  Sabaeans  fell  upon  them,  and  took  them  away ;  the 
servants  also  they  slew  with  the  edge  of  the  sword ;  and 

16  I  only  am  escaped  alone  to  tell  thee.  While  he  was  yet 
speaking,  there  came  also  another,  and  said.  The  fire  of 
God  hath  fallen  from  heaven,  and  hath  burned  up  the 
sheep  and  the  servants,  and  consumed  them  ;  and  I  only 

17  am  escaped  alone  to  tell  thee.  While  he  was  yet  speak- 
ing, there  came  also  another,  and  said,  The  Chaldaeans 
made  out  three  bands,  and  fell  upon  the  camels,  and 
carried  them  away ;  the  servants  also  they  slew  with  the 
edge  of  the  sword ;  and  I  only  am  escaped  alone  to  tell 

18  thee.  While  he  was  yet  speaking,  there  came  also 
another,  and  said.  Thy  sons  and  thy  daughters  were  eat- 
ing and  drinking  wine  in  their  eldest  brother's  house  ;  and, 

19  lo !  there  came  a  great  wind  from  the  desert,  and  smote 
the  four  corners  of  the  house,  and  it  fell  upon  the  young 
men,  and  they  are  dead ;  and  I  only  am  escaped  alone  to 

20  tell  thee.  Then  Job  arose,  and  rent  his  mantle,  and 
shaved  his  head,  and  fell  down  upon  the  ground,  and  wor- 

21  shipped  ;  and  said.  Naked  came  I  forth  from  my  mother's 
womb,  and  naked  shall  I  return  thither.  Jehovah  gave, 
and  Jehovah  hath  taken  away ;  blessed  be  the  name  of 
Jehovah !  In  all  this  Job  sinned  not,  nor  uttered  vain 
words  against  God. 

1  Again  there  was  a  day  when  the  sons  of  God  came  to 
present  themselves  before  Jehovah  ;  and  Satan  came  also 
among  them  to   present   himself  before   Jehovah.     And 

2  Jehovah  said  to  Satan,  Whence  comest  thou  ?  And  Satan 
answered  Jehovah,  and  said.  From  wandering  over   the 

3  earth,  and  walking  up  and  down  in  it.  Then  said  Jeho- 
vah to  Satan,  Hast  thou  observed  my  servant  Job,  that 


CHAP.   III.]  JOB.  39 

there  is  none  like  him  upon  the  earth,  an  upright  and  good 
man,  fearing  God  and  departing  from  evil  ?  And  still  he 
holdeth  fast  his  integrity,  although  thou  didst  excite  me 

4  against  him  to  destroy  him  without  a  cause.  And  Satan 
answered  Jehovah,  and  said,  Skin  for  skin,  yea,  all  that  a 

5  man  hath  will  he  give  for  his  life.  But  put  forth  now 
thy  hand,  and  touch  his  bone  and  his  flesh,  and  to  thy 

6  face  will  he  renounce  thee.  And  Jehovah  said  to  Satan, 
Behold,  he  is  in  thy* hand  ;  but  spare  his  life. 

7  Then  Satan  went  forth  from  the  presence  of  Jehovah, 
and  smote  Job  with  sore  boils  from  the  sole  of  his  foot  to 

8  his  crown.  And  he  took  a  potsherd  to  scrape  himself 
withal,  and  sat  down  among  the  ashes. 

9  Then  said  his  wife  to  him,  Dost  thou  still  retain  thine 

10  integrity  ?  Renounce  God,  and  die.  But  he  said  to  her. 
Thou  talkest  like  one  of  the  foolish  women.  What ! 
shall  we  receive  good  at  the  hand  of  God,  and  shall  we 
not  receive  evil?  In  all  this.  Job  sinned  not  with  his 
lips. 

11  Now  three  friends  of  Job  heard  of  all  this  evil  that 
had  come  upon  him,  and  came  each  one  from  his  home ; 
Eliphaz  the  Temanite,  and  Bildad  the  Shuhite,  and 
Zophar  the  Naamathite ;  for  they  had  agreed  to  come  to 

12  mourn  with  him,  and  to  comfort  him.  And  they  lifted 
up  their  eyes  at  a  distance,  and  knew  him  not ;  then  they 
raised  their  voices  and  wept,  and  rent  each  one  his  man- 
tle, and  sprinkled  dust  upon  their  heads  toward  heaven. 

13  And  they  sat  down  with  him  upon  the  ground  seven  days 
and  seven  nights,  and  none  spake  a  word  to  him ;  for  they 
saw  that  his  grief  was  very  great. 


II. 

Job's  complaint.  —  Chap.  HI. 

1  At  length  Job  opened  his  mouth,  and  cursed  the  day 

2  of  his  birth.     And  Job  spake  and  said : 

3  Perish  the  day  in  which  I  was  born, 

And  the  night  which  said,  "  A  man-child  is  conceived  '  *' 


40  JOB.  [ciiAP.  ui. 

4  Let  that  day  be  darkness  ; 

Let  not  God  seek  it  from  above  ; 
Yea,  let  not  the  light  shine  upon  it ! 

6  Let  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death  redeem  it; 
Let  a  cloud  dwell  upon  it ; 

Let  whatever  darkeneth  the  day  terrify  it ! 

t 
C       As  for  that  night,  let  darkness  seize  upon  it ; 
Let  it  not  rejoice  among  the  days  of  the  year ; 
Let  it  not  come  into  the  number  of  the  months  ! 

7  O  let  that  night  be  unfruitful ! 
Let  there  be  in  it  no  voice  of  joy ; 

8  Let  them  that  curse  the  day  curse  it, 
Who  are  skilful  to  stir  up  the  leviathan ! 

9  Let  the  stars  of  its  twilight  be  darkened ; 
Let  it  long  for  light,  and  have  none ; 

Neither  let  it  see  the  eyelashes  of  the  morning ! 

10  Because  it  shut  not  up  the  doors  of  my  mother's  womb, 
And  hid  net  trouble  from  mine  eyes. 

11  Why  died  I  not  at  my  birth  ? 

Why  did  I  not  expire  when  I  came  forth  from  the  womb  ? 

12  Why  did  the  knees  receive  me. 

And  why  the  breasts,  that  I  might  suck  ? 

13  For  now  should  I  lie  down  and  be  quiet ; 
I  should  sleep ;  then  should  I  be  at  rest, 

14  With  kings  and  counsellors  of  the  earth, 
Who  built  up  for  themselves  —  ruins  ! 

15  Or  with  princes  that  had  gold, 
And  filled  their  houses  with  silver ; 

16  Or,  as  a  hidden  untimely  birth,  I  had  perished ; 
As  infants  which  never  saw  the  light. 

17  There  the  wicked  cease  from  troubling ; 
There  the  weary  are  at  rest. 

18  There  the  prisoners  rest  together ; 
They  hear  not  the  voice  of  the  oppressor. 

19  The  small  and  the  great  are  there, 
And  the  servant  is  free  from  his  master. 

20  ^Yhy  giveth  He  light  to  him  that  is  in  misery, 
And  life  to  the  bitter  in  soul, 


CHAP.   IV.]  JOB.  41 

21  Who  long  for  death,  and  it  cometh  not, 
And  dig  for  it  niore  than  for  hid  treasures ; 

22  Who  rejoice  exceedingly. 

Yea,  exult,  when  they  can  find  a  grave  ? 

23  Wliy  is  light  given  to  a  man  from  whom  the  way  is  hid, 
And  whom  Grod  hath  hedged  in  ? 

24  For  my  sighing  cometh  before  I  eat, 
And  my  groans  are  poured  out  like  water. 

25  For  that  which  I  dread  overtaketh  me ; 
That  at  which  I  shudder  cometh  upon  me. 

26  I  have  no  peace,  nor  quiet,  nor  respite : 
Misery  cometh  upon  me  continually. 


III. 

First  speech  of  Eliphaz.  —  Chap.  IV.,  V. 

1  Then  spake  Eliphaz  the  Temanite,  and  said : 

2  If  one  attempt  a  word  with  thee,  wilt  thou  be  offended  ? 
But  who  can  refrain  from  speaking  ? 

3  Behold,  thou  hast  admonished  many ; 
Thou  hast  strengthened  feeble  hands ; 

4  Thy  words  have  upheld  him  that  was  falling, 
And  thou  hast  given  strength  to  feeble  knees. 

5  But  now  it  is  come  upon  thee,  and  thou  faintest; 
It  toucheth  thee,  and  thou  art  confounded ! 

6  Is  not  thy  fear  of  God  thy  hope, 

And  the  uprightness  of  thy  ways  thy  confidence  ? 

7  Remember,  I  pray  thee,  who  ever  perished  being  innocent  ? 
Or  where  have  the  righteous  been  cut  off? 

8  According  to  what  I  have  seen,  they  who  plough  iniquity, 
And  sow  mischief,  reap  the  same. 

9  By  the  blast  of  God  they  perish. 

And  by  the  breath  of  his  nostrils  they  are  consumed. 

10  The  roaring  of  the  lion,  and  the  voice  of  the  fierce  lion. 
And  the  teeth  of  the  young  lions  are  broken. 

11  The  fierce  lion  perisheth  for  lack  of  prey. 

And  the  whelps  of  the  lioness  are  scattered  abroad. 


42  JOB.  [chap.  v. 

12  A  word  was  once  secretly  brought  to  me, 
And  mine  ear  caught  a  whisper  thereof. 

13  Amid  thoughts  from  visions  of  the  night, 
When  deep  sleep  falleth  upon  men, 

14  A  fear  and  a  horror  came  upon  me, 
Which  made  all  my  bones  to  shake. 

15  Then  a  spirit  passed  before  my  face , 
The  hair  of  my  flesh  rose  on  end ; 

16  It  stood  still,  but  its  form  I  could  not  discern ; 
An  image  was  before  mine  eyes ; 

There  was  silence,  and  I  heard  a  voice : 

17  "  iShall  mortal  man  be  more  just  than  God  ? 
Shall  man  be  more  pure  than  his  Maker  ? 

18  Behold,  he  putteth  no  trust  in  his  ministering  spirits, 
And  his  angels  he  chargeth  with  frailty. 

19  What  then  are  they  who  dwell  in  houses  of  clay, 
Whose  foundation  is  in  the  dust, 

Who  crumble  to  pieces,  as  if  moth-eaten ! 

20  Between  morning  and  evening  are  they  destroyed ; 
They  perish  for  ever,  and  none  regardeth  it. 

21  The  excellency  that  is  in  them  is  torn  away ; 
They  die  before  they  have  become  wise." 

1  Call  now,  see  if  any  will  answer  thee ! 
And  to  which  of  the  holy  ones  wilt  thou  look  ? 

2  Verily  grief  destroyeth  the  fool. 
And  wrath  consumeth  the  weak  man. 

3  I  have  seen  an  impious  man  taking  root. 
But  soon  I  cursed  his  habitation. 

4  His  children  are  far  from  safety ; 

They  are  oppressed  at  the  gate,   and  there  is  none  to 
deliver  them. 

5  His  harvest  the  hungry  devour. 
Carrying  it  even  through  the  thorns ; 
And  a  snare  gapeth  after  his  substance. 

6  For  affliction  cometh  not  from  the  dust, 

Nor  doth  trouble  spring  up  from  the  ground ; 

7  Behold,  man  is  born  to  trouble, 
As  the  sparks  fly  upward. 

8  I  would  look  to  God, 

And  to  God  would  I  commit  my  cause, 


CHAP,   v.]  JOB.  43 

9  Wlio  doeth  great  things  and  unsearchable ; 
Yea,  marvellous  things  without  number; 

10  Who  giveth  rain  upon  the  earth. 
And  sendeth  water  upon  the  fields ; 

11  Who  placeth  the  lowly  in  high  places, 
And  restoreth  the  afflicted  to  prosperity ; 

12  Who  disappointeth  the  devices  of  the  crafty, 

So  that  their  hands  cannot  perform  their  enterprises  ; 

13  Who  taketh  the  wise  in  their  own  craftiness, 
And  bringeth  to  nought  the  counsel  of  the  artful. 

14  They  meet  with  darkness  in  the  daytime  ; 
They  grope  at  noon  as  if  it  were  night. 

15  So  he  saveth  the  persecuted  from  their  mouth ; 
The  oppressed  from  the  hand  of  the  mighty. 

16  So  the  poor  hath  hope. 

And  iniquity  stoppeth  her  mouth. 

17  Behold,  happy  is  the  man  whom  God  correcteth ; 
Therefore  despise  not  thou  the  chastening  of  the  Almighty 

18  For  he  bruiseth,  and  bindeth  up  ; 

He  woundeth,  and  his  hands  make  whole. 

19  In  six  troubles  will  he  deliver  thee ; 
Yea,  in  seven  shall  no  evil  touch  thee. 

20  In  famine  he  will  redeem  thee  from  death, 
And  in  war  from  the  power  of  the  sword. 

21  Thou  shalt  be  safe  from  the  scourge  of  the  tongue, 
And  shalt  not  be  afraid  of  destruction,  when  it  cometh. 

22  At  destruction  and  famine  thou  shalt  laugh, 

And  of  the  wild  beasts  of  the  land  shalt  thou  not  be 
afraid. 

23  For  thou  shalt  be  in  league  with  the  stones  of  the  field ; 
Yea,  the  beasts  of  the  forest  shall  be  at  peace  with  thee. 

24  Thou  shalt  find  that  thy  tent  is  in  peace ; 

Thou  shalt  visit  thy  dwelling,  and  not  be  disappointed. 

25  Thou  shalt  see  thy  descendants  numerous. 
And  thine  offspring  as  the  grass  of  the  6arth. 

26  Thou  shalt  come  to  thy  grave  in  full  age. 
As  a  shock  of  corn  gathered  in  its  season. 

27  Lo  !  this  we  have  searched  out ;  so  it  is  : 
Hear  it,  and  lay  it  up  in  thy  mind ! 


44  JOB.  [chap,  vl 

IV. 

Answer  of  Job.  —  Chap.  VI.,  VII. 

1  Then  Job  answered  and  said : 

2  O  that  my  grief  were  weighed  thoroughly ! 

That  my  cahimities  were  put  together  in  the  balance ! 

3  Surely  they  would  be  heavier  than  the  sand  of  the  sea ; 
On  this  account  were  my  words  rash. 

4  For  the  arrows  of  the  Almighty  have  pierced  me ; 
Their  poison  drinketh  up  my  spirit ; 

The  terrors  of  God  set  themselves  in  array  against  me. 

5  Doth  the  wild  ass  bray  in  the  midst  of  grass  ? 
Or  loweth  the  ox  over  his  fodder  ? 

6  Can  that  which  is  unsavory  be  eaten  without  salt  ? 
Is  there  any  taste  in  the  white  of  an  egg? 

7  That  which  my  soul  abhorreth  to  touch 
Hath  become  my  loathsome  food. 

8  O  that  I  might  have  my  request, 

And  that  God  would  grant  me  that  which  I  long  for ! 

9  That  it  would  please  God  to  destro}^  me  ; 

That  he  would  let  loose  his  hand,  and  make  an  end  of  me ! 

10  Yet  it  should  still  be  my  consolation, 
Yea,  in  unsparing  anguish  I  would  exult, 

That  I  have  not  denied  the  commands  of  the  Holy  One. 

11  What  is  my  strength,  that  I  should  hope  ? 
And  what  mine  end,  that  I  should  be  patient  ? 

12  Is  my  strength  the  strength  of  stones  ? 
Or  is  my  flesh  brass  ? 

13  Alas,  there  is  no  help  within  me ! 
Deliverance  is  driven  from  me ! 

14  To  the  afflicted,  kindness  should  be  shown  by  a  friend ; 
Else  he  casteth  off  the  fear  of  the  Almighty. 

15  But  my  brethren  are  foithless  like  a  brook  ; 
Like  streams  of  the  valley  that  pass  away ; 

16  Which  are  turbid  by  reason  of  the  ice, 
And  the  snow,  which  hideth  itself  in  them. 

17  As  soon  as  they  flow  forth,  they  vanish ; 

When  the  heat  cometh,  they  are  dried  up  from  their  place. 


CHAP.  VII.]  JOB.  45 

18  The  caravans  turn  aside  to  them  on  their  way ; 
They  go  up  into  the  desert,  and  perish. 

19  The  caravans  of  Tema  look  for  them  ; 

The  companies  of  Sheba  expect  to  see  them ; 

20  They  are  ashamed  that  they  have  relied  on  them ; 
They  come  to  their  place,  and  are  confounded. 

21  So  ye  also  are  nothing ; 

Ye  see  a  terror,  and  shrink  back. 

22  Have  I  said.  Bring  me  gifts  ? 

Or,  Give  a  present  for  me  out  of  your  substance  ? 

23  Or,  Deliver  me  from  the  enemy's  hand  ? 

Or,  Rescue  me  from  the  hand  of  the  violent  ? 

24  Convince  me,  and  I  will  hold  my  peace  ; 
Cause  me  to  understand  wherein  I  have  erred. 

25  How  powerful  are  the  words  of  truth ! 
But  what  do  your  reproaches  prove  ? 

26  Do  ye  mean  to  censure  words  ? 

The  words  of  a  man  in  despair  are  but  wind. 

27  Truly  ye  spread  a  net  for  the  fatherless ; 
Ye  dig  a  pit  for  your  friend. 

28  Look  now  upon  me,  I  pray  you  ; 

For  to  your  very  face  can  I  speak  falsehood  ? 

29  Return,  I  pray,  and  let  there  be  no  unfairness  ; 
Yea,  return  ;  —  still  is  my  cause  righteous. 

30  Is  there  iniquity  on  my  tongue  ? 
Cannot  my  taste  discern  what  is  sinful  ? 

1  Is  there  not  a  war-service  for  man  on  the  earth  ? 
Are  not  his  days  as  the  days  of  a  hireling  ? 

2  As  a  servant  panteth  for  the  shade. 
And  as  a  hireling  looketh  for  his  wages, 

3  So  am  I  made  to  possess  months  of  affliction, 
And  wearisome  nights  are  appointed  for  me. 

4  If  I  lie  down,  I  say. 

When  shall  I  arise,  and  the  night  be  gone  ? 

And  I  am  full  of  restlessness  until  the  dawning  of  the  day. 
6  My  flesh  is  clothed  with  worms,  and  clods  of  dust ; 

My  skin  is  broken  and  become  loathsome. 
6  My  days  are  swifter  than  a  weaver's  shuttle ; 

They  pass  away  without  hope. 


46  JOB.  [chap.  vn. 

7  O  remember  that  my  life  is  a  breath  ; 
That  mine  eye  shall  no  more  see  good ! 

8  The  eye   of   him    that   hath    seen    me    shall    see  me  no 

more  ; 
'J'hine  eyes  shall  look  for  me,  but  I  shall  not  be. 

9  As  the  cloud  dissolveth  and  wasteth  away, 

So  he  that  gocth  down  to  the  grave  shall  arise  no  more ; 

10  No  more  sliall  he  return  to  his  house, 

And  his  dwelling-place  shall  know  him  no  more. 

11  Therefore  I  will  not  restrain  my  mouth ; 
I  will  speak  in  the  anguish  of  my  spirit; 

I  will  complain  in  the  bitterness  of  my  soul. 

12  Am  I  a  sea,  or  a  sea-monster. 
That  tliou  settest  a  watch  over  me  ? 

13  When  I  say,  My  bed  shall  relieve  me, 
My  couch  shall  ease  my  complaint, 

14  Then  thou  scarest  me  with  dreams, 
And  terrifiest  me  with  visions ; 

15  So  that  my  soul  chooseth  strangling. 
Yea,  death,  rather  than  these  my  bones. 

16  I  am  wasting  away  ;  I  shall  not  live  alway : 
Let  me  alone,  for  my  days  are  a  vapor ! 

17  What  is  man,  that  thou  shouldst  make  great  account  of 

him, 
And  fix  tliy  mind  upon  him  ?  — 

18  That  thou  shouldst  visit  him  every  morning, 
And  prove  him  every  moment? 

19  How  long  ere  thou  wilt  look  away  from  me. 
And  let  me  alone,  till  I  have  time  to  breathe? 

20  If   I   have   sinned,   what  have  I  done   to   thee,   O   thou 

watcher  of  men ! 
Why  hast  thou  set  me  up  as  thy  mark. 
So  that  I  have  become  a  burden  to  myself? 

21  And  wh}^  dost  thou  not  pardon  my  transgression, 
And  take  away  mine  iniquity  ? 

22  For  soon  shall  I  sleep  in  the  dust ; 

And,  though  thou  seek  me  diligently,  I  shall  not  b© 


CHAP.  VIII.]  JOB.  47 

V. 

First  speech  of  Bildad,  the  Shuhite.  —  Chap.  VIII. 

1  Then  answered  Bildad  the  Shuhite,  and  said: 

2  How  long  wilt  thou  speak  such  things  ? 

How  long  shall  the  words  of  thy  mouth  be  like  a  strong 
wind  ? 

3  Will  God  pervert  judgment  ? 

Or  will  the  Almighty  pervert  justice  ? 

4  As  thy  children  sinned  against  him, 

He  hath  given  them  up  to  their  transgression. 

5  But  if  thou  wilt  seek  early  to  God, 

And  make  thy  supplication  to  the  Almighty, — 

6  If  thou  wilt  be  pure  and  upright. 
Surely  he  will  yet  arise  for  thee. 
And  prosper  thy  righteous  habitation ; 

7  So  that  thy  beginning  shall  be  small. 
And  thy  latter  end  very  great. 

8  For  inquire,  I  pray  thee,  of  the  former  age, 

And  mark  what  hath  been  searched  out  by  their  fathers ; 

9  (For  we  are  of  yesterday  and  know  nothing, 
Since  our  days  upon  the  earth  are  but  a  shadow ;) 

10  Will  not  they  instruct  thee,  and  tell  thee, 
And  utter  words  from  their  understanding? 

11  "  Can  the  paper-reed  grow  up  without  mire  ? 
Can  the  bulrush  grow  without  water  ? 

12  While  it  is  yet  in  its  greenness,  and  is  not  cut  down, 
It  withereth  before  any  other  herb. 

13  Such  is  the  fate  of  all  who  forget  God ; 
So  perisheth  the  hope  of  the  ungodly. 

14  His  confidence  shall  come  to  nought, 
And  his  trust  shall  prove  a  spider's  web. 

15  He  shall  lean  upon  his  house,  and  it  shall  not  stand ; 
He  shall  lay  fast  hold  on  it,  but  it  shall  not  endure. 

16  He  is  in  full  green  before  the  sun. 

And  his  branches  shoot  forth  over  his  garden ; 

17  His  roots  are  entwined  about  the  heap, 
And  he  seeth  the  place  of  stones ; 


48  JOB.  [CHAP.  IX. 

18  When  he  shall  be  destroyed  from  his  place, 
It  shall  deny  him,  saying,  '  I  never  saw  thee.' 

19  Lo  !  such  is  the  joy  of  his  course  ! 

And  others  shall  spring  up  from  his  place." 

20  Behold,  God  will  not  cast  away  an  upright  man  ; 
Nor  will  he  help  the  evil-doers. 

21  While  he  filleth  thy  mouth  with  laughter, 
And  thy  lips  with  gladness, 

22  They  that  hate  thee  shall  be  clothed  with  shame, 

And   the   dwelling-place   of   the   wicked   shall   come   to 
nought. 


VI. 

Answer  of  Job.  —  Chap.  IX.,  X. 

1  Then  Job  answered  and  said : 

2  Of  a  truth,  I  know  that  it  is  so : 
For  how  can  man  be  just  before  God  ? 

3  If  he  choose  to  contend  with  him, 

He  cannot  answer  him  to  one  charge  of  a  thousand. 

4  He  is  excellent  in  wisdom,  mighty  in  strength  : 

Who  hath  hardened  himself  against  him,  and  prospered  ? 

5  He  removetli  the  mountains,  and  they  know  it  not ; 
He  overturneth  them  in  his  anjrer. 

6  He  shaketh  the  earth  out  of  her  place. 
And  the  pillars  thereof  tremble. 

7  He  commandeth  the  sun,  and  it  riseth  not, 
And  he  sealeth  up  the  stars. 

8  He  alone  spreadeth  out  the  heavens, 

And  walketh  upon  the  high  waves  of  the  sea. 

9  He  made  the  Bear,  Orion,  and  the  Pleiads, 
And  the  secret  chambers  of  the  South. 

10  He  doeth  great  things  past  finding  out, 
Yea,  wonderful  things  without  number. 

11  Lo !  he  goeth  by  me,  but  I  see  him  not ; 
He  passeth  along,  but  I  do  not  perceive  him. 


CHAP.    IX.]  JOB.  49 

12  Lo !  he  seizeth,  and  who  can  hinder  him  ? 
Who  will  say  to  him,  What  doest  thou  ? 

13  God  will  not  turn  away  his  anger ; 

The  proud  helpers  are  brought  low  before  him. 

14  How  much  less  shall  I  answer  him, 

And  choose  out  words  to  contend  with  him  ? 

15  Though  I  were  innocent,  I  would  not  answer  him  ; 
I  would  cast  myself  on  the  mercy  of  my  judge. 

16  Should  I  call,  and  he  make  answer  to  me, 

I  could  not  believe  that  he  listened  to  my  voice,  — 

17  He  who  falleth  upon  me  with  a  tempest, 
And  multiplieth  my  wounds  without  cause ! 

18  Who  will  not  suffer  me  to  take  my  breath, 
But  filleth  me  with  bitterness  ! 

19  If  I  look  to  strength,  "  Lo !  here  am  I !  "  [saith  he,] 
If  to  justice,  "  Who  shall  summon  me  to  trial  ?  " 

20  Though  I  were  upright,  yet  must  my  own  mouth  coa- 

demn  me; 
Though  I  were  innocent,  He  would  prove  me  perverse. 

21  Though  I  were  innocent,  I  would  not  care  for  myself; 
I  would  despise  my  life. 

22  It  is  all  one ;  therefore  I  will  affirm, 

He  destroyeth  the  righteous  and  the  wicked  alike. 

23  When  the  scourge  bringeth  sudden  destruction, 
He  laugheth  at  the  sufferings  of  the  innocent. 

24  The  earth  is  given  into  the  hands  of  the  wicked ; 
He  covereth  the  face  of  the  judges  thereof; 

K  it  be  not  He,  who  is  it  ? 

25  My  days  have  been  swifter  than  a  courier ; 
They  have  fled  away  ;  they  have  seen  no  good. 

26  They  have  gone  by  like  the  reed-skiffs ; 
Like  the  eagle,  darting  upon  his  prey. 

27  If  I  say,  I  will  forget  my  lamentation, 

I  will  change  my  countenance,  and  take  courage, 

28  Still  am  I  in  dread  of  the  multitude  of  my  sorrows ; 
For  I  know  that  thou  wilt  not  hold  me  innocent. 

29  I  shall  be  found  guilty  ; 

Why  then  should  I  labor  in  vain  ? 

30  If  I  wash  myself  in  snow. 
And  cleanse  my  hands  with  lye, 

3 


50  JOB.  [chap.  X. 

31  Still  wilt  thou  plunge  me  into  the  pit, 
So  that  my  own  clothes  will  abhor  me. 

32  For  Ho  is  not  a  man,  as  I  am,  that  I  may  contend  with 

liim, 
And  that  we  may  go  together  into  judgment ; 

33  There  is  no  umpire  between  us, 
Who  may  lay  his  hand  upon  us  both. 

34  Let  him  take  from  me  his  rod, 
And  not  dismay  me  with  his  terrors, 

35  Then  I  will  speak,  and  not  be  afraid  of  him : 
For  I  am  not  so  at  heart. 

1  I  am  weary  of  my  life ; 

I  will  let  loose  within  me  my  complaint ; 
I  will  speak  in  the  bitterness  of  my  soul. 

2  I  will  say  unto  God,  Do  not  condemn  me ! 
Show  me  wherefore  thou  contendest  with  me ! 

3  Is  it  a  pleasure  to  thee  to  oppress. 
And  to  despise  the  work  of  thy  hands. 
And  to  shine  upon  the  plans  of  the  wicked? 

4  Hast  thou  eyes  of  flesh. 

Or  seest  thou  as  man  seeth  ? 

5  Are  thy  days  as  the  days  of  a  man, 
Are  thy  years  as  the  days  of  a  mortal, 

6  That  thou  seekest  after  my  iniquity, 
And  searchest  after  my  sin, 

7  Though  thou  knowest  that  I  am  not  guilty, 
And  that  none  can  deliver  from  thy  hand  ? 

8  Have  thy  hands  completely  foshioned  and  made  me 
In  every  part,  that  thou  mightst  destroy  me  ? 

9  O  remember  that  thou  hast  moulded  me  as  clay ! 
And  wilt  thou  brino;  me  aijaiu  to  dust  ? 

10  Thou  didst  pour  me  out  as  milk, 
And  curdle  me  as  cheese  ; 

11  With  skin  and  flesh  didst  thou  clothe  me. 
And  strengthen  me  with  bones  and  sinews  ; 

12  Thou  didst  grant  me  life  and  favor, 
And  thy  protection  preserved  my  breath : 

13  Yet  these  things  thou  didst  lay  up  in  thy  heart! 
I  know  that  this  was  in  thy  mind. 


CHAP.   XI.]  JOB.  51 

14  If  I  sin,  then  thou  markest  me, 

And  wilt  not  acquit  me  of  mine  iniquity. 

15  If  I  am  wicked,  —  then  woe  unto  me ! 
Yet  if  righteous,  I  dare  not  lift  up  my  head  ; 
I  am  full  of  confusion,  beholding  my  affliction. 

16  If  I  lift  it  up,  like  a  lion  thou  huntest  me, 
And  again  showest  thyself  terrible  unto  me. 

17  Thou  renewest  thy  witnesses  against  me. 
And  increasest  thine  anger  toward  me  ; 
New  hosts  continually  rise  up  against  me. 

« 

18  Why  then  didst  thou  bring  me  forth  from  the  womb  ? 
I  should  have  perished,  and  no  eye  had  seen  me  ; 

19  I  should  be  as  though  I  had  not  been ; 

I  should  have  been  borne  from  the  womb  to  the  grave. 

20  Are  not  my  days  few  ?     O  spare  then. 

And  let  me  alone,  that  I  may  be  at  ease  a  little  while, 

21  Before  I  go  —  whence  I  shall  not  return  — 
To  the  land  of  darkness  and  death-shade, 

22  The  land  of  darkness  like  the  blackness  of  death-shade, 
Where  is  no  order,  and  where  the  light  is  as  darkness. 


VII. 

First  speech  of  Zophar  the  Naamathite.  —  Chap.  XI. 

1  Then  answered  Zophar  the  Naamathite,  and  said : 

2  Shall  not  the  multitude  of  words  receive  an  answer  ? 
Shall  the  man  of  words  be  justified? 

3  Shall  thy  boastings  make  men  hold  their  peace  ? 
Shalt  thou  mock,  and  none  put  thee  to  shame  ? 

4  Thou  sayest,  My  speech  is  pure ; 

I  am  clean  in  thine  eyes,  [O  God !] 

5  But  0  that  God  would  speak, 
And  open  his  lips  against  thee ; 

6  That  he  would  show  thee  the  secrets  of  his  wisdom,  — 
His  wisdom,  which  is  unsearchable  ! 

Then  shouldst  thou  know  that  God  forgiveth  thee  many 
of  thine  iniquities. 


52  JOB.  [chap.  xn. 

7  Canst  thou  search  out  the  deep  things  of  God  ? 
Canst  thou  find  out  the  Almighty  to  perfection  ? 

8  'Tis  high  as  heaven,  what  canst  thou  do  ? 
Deeper  than  hell,  what  canst  thou  know  ? 

9  The  measure  thereof  is  longer  than  the  earth, 
And  broader  than  the  sea. 

10  If  he  apprehend,  and  bind,  and  bring  to  trial, 
Who  shall  oppose  him  ? 

11  For  he  knoweth  the  unrighteous  ; 

He  seeth  iniquity,  when  they  do  not  observe  it. 

12  But  vain  man  is  without  understanding ; 
Yea,  man  is  born  a  wild  ass's  colt. 

13  If  thou  direct  thy  heart, 

And  stretch  out  thy  hands,  toward  him ; 

14  If  thou  put  away  iniquity  from  thy  hand, 

And  let  not  wickedness  dwell  in  thy  habitation,  — 

15  Then  shalt  thou  lift  up  thy  face  without  spot; 
Yea,  thou  shalt  be  steadfast,  and  have  no  fear. 

16  For  thou  shalt  forget  thy  misery. 

Or  remember  it  as  waters  that  have  passed  away. 

17  Thy  life  shall  be  brighter  than  the  noon-day ; 

Now   thou   art  in   darkness,   thou   shalt  then  be  as   the 
morning. 

18  Thou  shalt  be  secure,  because  there  is  hope ; 

Now  thou  art  disappointed,  thou  shalt  then  rest  in  safety. 

19  Thou  shalt  lie  down,  and  none  shall  make  thee  afraid ; 
And  many  shall  make  suit  unto  thee. 

20  But  the  eyes  of  the  wicked  shall  be  wearied  out ; 
They  shall  find  no  refuge  ; 

Their  hope  is  —  the  breathing  forth  of  life. 


YIII. 

Answer  of  Job.—  Chap.  XII.,  XIH.,  XIV. 

1  Then  Job  answered  and  said : 

2  No  doubt  ye  are  the  whole  people ! 
And  wisdom  will  die  with  you! 


CHAP,  xn.]  JOB.  53 

3  But  I  have  understanding  as  well  as  you  ; 
I  am  not  inferior  to  you  : 

Yea,  who  knoweth  not  such  things  as  these  ? 

4  I  am  become  a  laughing-stock  to  my  friend,  — 

I  who  call  upon  God,  that  he  would  answer  me ! 
The  innocent  and  upright  man  is  held  in  derision. 

5  To  calamity  belongeth  contempt  in  the  mind  of  one  at 

ease  ; 
It  is  ready  for  them  that  slip  with  the  feet. 

6  The  tents  of  robbers  are  in  prosperity, 
And  they  who  provoke  God  are  secure, 
Who  carry  their  God  in  their  hand. 

7  For  ask  now  the  beasts,  and  they  will  teach  thee ; 
Or  the  fowls  of  the  air,  and  they  will  tell  thee ; 

8  Or  speak  to  the  earth,  and  it  will  instruct  thee  ; 
And  the  fishes  of  the  sea  will  declare  unto  thee. 

9  Who  among  all  these  doth  not  know 

That  the  hand  of  Jehovah  doeth  these  things  ? 

10  In  whose  hand  is  the  soul  of  every  living  thing, 
And  the  breath  of  all  mankind. 

11  Doth  not  the  ear  prove  words, 
As  the  mouth  tasteth  meat  ? 

12  With  the  aged  is  wisdom, 

And  with  length  of  days  is  understanding. 

13  With  Him  are  wisdom  and  strength ; 
With  Him  counsel  and  understanding. 

14  Lo  !  he  pulleth  down,  and  it  shall  not  be  rebuilt ; 
He  bindeth  a  man,  and  he  shall  not  be  set  loose. 

15  Lo  !  he  withholdeth  the  waters'  and  they  are  dried  up  ; 
He  sendeth  them  forth,  and  they  lay  waste  the  earth. 

16  With  him  are  strength  and  wisdom  ; 
The  deceived  and  the  deceiver  are  his. 

17  He  leadeth  counsellors  away  captive, 
And  judges  he  maketh  fools. 

18  He  looseth  the  authority  of  kings. 
And  bindeth  their  loins  with  a  cord. 

19  He  leadeth  priests  away  captive. 
And  overthroweth  the  mighty. 

20  He  removeth  speech  from  the  trusty. 

And  taketh  away  judgment  from  the  elders. 


54  JOB.  [chap.  xm. 

21  He  poureth  contempt  upon  princes, 
And  looseth  the  girdle  of  the  mighty. 

22  He  revealeth  deep  things  out  of  darkness, 
And  bringeth  the  shadow  of  death  to  light 

23  lie  exalteth  nations,  and  destroyeth  them  ; 

He  enlargeth  nations,  and  leadeth  them  captive. 

24  He  taketh  away  the  understanding  of  the  great  men  of 

the  land, 
And  causeth  them  to  wander  in  a  wilderness,  where  is  no 

25  They  grope  in  the  dark  without  light ;  [path  ; 
He  maketh  them  staa-<xer  like  a  drunken  man. 

1  Lo  !  all  this  mine  eye  hath  seen  ; 
Mine  ear  hath  heard  and  understood  it. 

2  What  ye  know,  I  know  also  ; 
I  am  not  inferior  to  you. 

3  But  O  that  I  might  speak  with  the  Almighty ! 
O  that  I  might  reason  Avith  God  ! 

4  For  ye  are  forgers  of  lies  ; 
Physicians  of  no  value,  all  of  you  ! 

5  O  that  ye  would  altogether  hold  your  peace ! 
This,  truly,  would  be  wisdom  in  you. 

6  Hear,  I  pray  you,  my  arguments  ; 
Attend  to  the  pleadings  of  my  lips ! 

7  Will  ye  speak  falsehood  for  God  ? 
Will  ye  utter  deceit  for  him  ? 

8  Will  ye  be  partial  to  his  person  ? 
Will  ye  contend  earnestly  for  God  ? 

9  Will  it  be  well  for  you,  'if  he  search  you  thoroughly  ? 
Can  ye  deceive  him,  as  one  may  deceive  a  man  ? 

10  Surely  he  will  rebuke  you. 

If  ye  secretly  have  respect  to  persons. 

11  Doth  not  his  majesty  make  you  afraid, 
And  his  dread  fall  upon  you  ? 

12  Your  maxims  are  words  of  dust ; 
Your  fortresses  are  fortresses  of  cl^y. 

13  Hold  your  peace,  and  let  me  speak : 
And  then  come  upon  me  what  will ! 

14  Why  do  I  take  my  flesh  in  my  teeth, 
And  put  my  life  in  my  hand  ? 


CHAP.    XIV  ]  JOB,  55 

15  Lo !  he  slayeth  me,  and  I  have  no  hope ! 
Yet  will  I  justify  my  ways  before  him. 

16  This  also  shall  be  my  deliverance ; 

For  no  unriHiteous  man  will  come  before  him. 

17  Hear  attentively  my  words, 
And  give  ear  to  my  declaration ! 

18  Behold,  I  have  now  set  in  order  my  cause  ; 
I  know  that  1  am  innocent. 

19  Who  is  he;  that  can  contend  with  me  ? 
For  then  would  I  hold  my  peace,  and  die  ! 

20  Only  do  not  unto  me  two  things. 

Then  will  I  not  hide  myself  from  thy  presence ; 

21  Let  not  thy  hand  be  heavy  upon  me, 
And  let  not  thy  terrors  make  me  afraid : 

22  Then  call  upon  me,  and  I  will  answer ; 
Or  I  will  speak,  and  answer  thou  me. 

23  How  many  are  my  iniquities  and  sins? 

jMake  me  to  know  my  faults  and  transgressions. 

24  Wherefore  dost  thou  hide  thy  face, 
And  account  me  as  thine  enemy  ? 

25  Wilt  thou  put  in  fear  the  driven  leaf? 
Wilt  thou  pursue  the  dry  stubble  ? 

26  For  thou  writest  bitter  things  against  me, 
And  makest  me  inherit  the  sins  of  my  youth. 

27  Yea,  thou  puttest  my  feet  in  the  stocks, 
And  watchest  ail  my  paths  ; 

Thou  hemmest  in  the  soles  of  my  feet 

28  And  I,  like  an  abandoned  thing,  shall  waste  away  j 
Like  a  garment  which  is  moth-eaten. 

1  Man,  that  is  born  of  woman, 

Is  of  few  days,  and  full  of  trouble. 

2  He  Cometh  forth  as  a  flower,  and  is  cut  down ; 
He  fleeth  also  as  a  shadow,  and  continueth  not. 

3  And  dost  thou  fix  thine  eyes  upon  such  a  one  ? 
And  dost  thou  bring  me  into  judgment  with  thee  ? 

4  Who  can  produce  a  clean  thing  from  an  unclean  ? 
Not  one. 

5  Seeing  that  his  days  are  determined, 
And  the  number  of  his  months,  with  thee, 


66  JOB.  [chap.  XIV. 

And  that  thou  hast  appointed  him  bounds  which  he  can- 
not pass, 

6  O  turn  thine  eyes  from  him,  and  let  him  rest, 
That  he  may  enjoy,  as  a  hireling,  his  day ! 

7  For  there  is  hope  for  a  tree, 

If  it  be  cut  down,  that  it  will  sprout  again, 
And  that  its  tender  branches  will  not  fail ; 

8  Though  its  root  may  have  grown  old  in  the  earth, 
And  though  its  trunk  be  dead  upon  the  ground, 

9  Through  the  scent  of  water  it  will  bud. 
And  put  forth  boughs,  like  a  young  plant. 

10  But  man  dieth,  and  he  is  gone  ! 
Man  expireth,  and  where  is  he  ? 

11  The  waters  fail  from  the  lake, 

And  the  stream  wasteth  and  drieth  up ; 

12  So  man  lieth  down,  and  riseth  not ; 

Till  the  heavens  be  no  more,  he  shall  not  awake, 
Nor  be  roused  from  his  sleep. 

13  O  that  thou  wouldst  hide  me  in  the  under-world  ! 
That  thou  wouldst  conceal  me  till  thy  wrath  be  past ! 
That  thou  wouldst  appoint  me  a  time,  and  then  remem- 
ber me ! 

14  If  a  man  die,  can  he  live  again  ? 

All  the  days  of  my  war-service  would  I  wait, 
Till  my  change  should  come. 

15  Thou  wilt  call,  and  I  will  answer  thee ; 

Thou  wilt  have  coui[)assion  upon  the  work  of  thy  hands  ! 

16  But  now  thou  numberest  my  steps  ; 
Thou  watchest  over  my  sins. 

17  My  transgression  is  sealed  up  in  a  bag; 
Yea,  thou  addest  unto  my  iniquity. 

18  As  the  mountain  falling  cometh  to  nought. 
And  the  rock  is  removed  from  its  place ; 

19  As  the  waters  wear  away  the  stones, 

And  the  floods  wash  away  the  dust  of  the  earth,  — 
So  thou  destroyest  the  hope  of  man. 


CHAP.   XV  ]  JOB.  57 

20  Thou  prevailest  against  him  continually,  and  he  perisheth ; 
Thou  cliangest  his  countenance,  and  sendest  him  away. 

21  His  sons  come  to  honor,  but  he  knoweth  it  not ; 
Or  they  are  brought  low,  but  he  perceiveth  it  not. 

22  But  his  flesh  shall  have  pain  for  itself  alone ; 
For  itself  alone  shall  his  soul  mourn. 


IX. 

Second  speech  of  Eliphaz  the  Temanite.  —  Chap.  XV. 

1  Then  answered  Eliphaz  the  Temanite,  and  said : 

2  Should  a  wise  man  answer  with  arguments  of  wind, 
Or  fill  his  bosom  with  the  east  wind  ? 

3  Should  he  argue  with  speech  that  helpeth  him  not, 
And  with  words  which  do  not  profit  him  ? 

4  Behold,  thou  makest  the  fear  of  God  a  vain  thing, 
And  discouragest  prayer  before  him. 

6  Yea,  thy  own  mouth  proclaimeth  thy  iniquity, 
Though  thou  choosest  the  tongue  of  the  crafty. 

6  Thy  own  mouth  condemneth  thee,  and  not  I ; 
Thy  own  lips  testify  against  thee. 

7  Art  thou  the  first  man  that  was  born  ? 
Wast  thou  formed  before  the  hills  ? 

8  Hast  thou  listened  in  the  council  of  God, 
And  drawn  all  wisdom  to  thyself? 

9  What  dost  thou  know,  that  we  kijow  not  also  ? 
What  dost  thou  understand,  that  is  a  secret  to  us  ? 

10  With  us  are  the  aged  and  hoary-headed ; 
Much  older  than  thy  father. 

11  Dost  thou  despise  the  consolations  of  God, 
And  words  so  full  of  kindness  to  thee  ? 

12  Why  hath  thy  passion  taken  possession  of  thee  ? 
And  why  this  winking  of  thine  eyes  ? 

13  For  against  God  hast  thou  turned  thy  spirit, 
And  uttered  such  words  from  thy  mouth. 

3* 


58  JOB.  [chap.  XV. 

14  What  is  man,  that  he  should  be  pure, 

And  he  that  is  born  of  woman,  that  he  should  be  innocent  ? 

15  Behold,  He  putteth  no  trust  in  his  ministering  spirits, 
And  the  heavens  are  not  pure  in  his  sight ; 

16  Much  less,  abominable  and  polluted  man, 
Who  drinketh  iniquity  as  water. 

17  Hear  me,  and  I  will  show  thee. 

And  that  which  I  have  seen  will  I  declare ; 

18  Which  the  wise  men  have  told. 

And  not  kept  concealed,  as  received  from  their  fathers ; 

19  To  whom  alone  the  land  was  given, 

And  amonor  whom  not  a  strano;er  wandered. 

20  "  All  his  days  the  wicked  man  is  in  pain  ; 

Yea,  all  the  years,  that  are  laid  up  for  the  oppressor. 

21  A  fearful  sound  is  in  his  ears ; 

In  peace  the  destroyer  cometh  upon  him. 

22  He  hath  no  hope  that  he  shall  escape  from  darkness ; 
He  is  set  apart  for  the  sword. 

23  He  wandereth  about,  seeking  bread ; 

He  knoweth  that  a  day  of  darkness  is  at  hand. 

24  Distress  and  anguish  fill  him  with  dread  ; 

They  prevail  against  him  like  a  king  ready  for  the  battle. 

25  Because  he  stretched  forth  his  hand  against  God, 
And  bade  defiance  to  the  Ahnighty, 

26  And  ran  against  him  with  outstretched  neck, 
With  the  thick  bosses  of  his  bucklers ; 

27  Because  he  covered  his  face  with  fatness, 
And  gathered  fat  upon  his  loins, 

28  And  dwelt  in  desolated  cities. 

In  houses  which  no  man  inhabiteth, 
That  are  ready  to  become  heaps. 

29  He  shall  not  be  rich ;  his  substance  shall  not  endure, 
And  his  possessions  shall  not  be  extended  upon  the  earth. 

30  He  shall  not  escape  from  darkness, 

And  the  flame  shall  dry  up  his  branches ; 
Yea,  by  the   breath   of  His   mouth   shall   he   be   taken 
away. 

31  "  Let  not  man  trust  in  vanity  !  he  will  be  deceived ; 
For  vanity  shall  be  his  recompense. 


CHAP.    XVI.]  JOB.  59 

32  He  shall  come  to  his  end  before  his  time,. 
And  his  branch  shall  not  be  green. 

33  He  shall  shake  off  his  unripe  fruit  like  the  vine, 
And  shed  his  blossoms  like  the  olive-tree. 

34  The  house  of  the  unrighteous  shall  be  famished, 
And  fire  shall  consume  the  tents  of  bribery. 

35  They  conceive  mischief,  and  bring  forth  misery, 
And  their  breast  deviseth  deceit.'* 


X. 

Answer  of  Job.  —  Chap.  XVI.,  XVII. 

1  But  Job  answered  and  said : 

2  Of  such  things  as  these  I  have  heard  enough ! 
Miserable  comforters  are  ye  all ! 

3  Will  there  ever  be  an  end  to  words  of  wind? 
What  stirreth  thee  up,  that  thou  answerest? 

4  I  also  might  speak  like  you. 
If  ye  were  now  in  my  place ; 

I  might  string  together  words  against  you. 
And  shake  my  head  at  you. 

5  But  I  would  strengthen  you  with  my  mouth, 
And  the  consolation  of  my  lips  should  sustain  you. 

6  If  I  speak,  my  grief  is  not  assuaged ; 
And  if  I  forbear,  it  doth  not  leave  me. 

7  For  now  He  hath  quite  exhausted  me ;  — 
Thou  hast  desolated  all  my  house ! 

8  Thou  hast  seized  hold  of  me,  and  this  is  a  witness  against 

me ; 
My  leanness  riseth  up  and  testifieth  against  me  to  my  face. 

9  His  anger  teareth  my  flesh,  and  pursueth  me; 
He  gnasheth  upon  me  with  his  teeth ; 

My  adversary  sharpeneth  his  eyes  upon  me. 
10  They  gape  for  me  with  their  mouths ; 
In  scorn  they  smite  me  on  the  cheek ; 
With  one  consent  they  assemble  against  me. 


60  JOB.  [chap.  xvn. 

11  God  hath  given  me  a  prey  to  the  unrighteous, 
And  delivered  me  into  the  hands  of  the  wicked. 

12  I  was  at  ease,  but  he  hath  crushed  me ; 

He  hath  seized  me  bj  the  neck,  and  dashed  me  in  pieces ; 
He  hath  set  me  up  for  his  mark. 

13  His  archers  encompass  me  around ; 

He  pierceth  my  reins,  and  doth  not  spare ; 
He  poureth  out  my  gall  upon  the  ground. 

14  He  breaketh  me  with  breach  upon  breach ; 
He  rusheth  upon  me  like  a  warrior. 

15  I  have  sewed  sackcloth  upon  my  skin, 
And  thrust  my  horn  into  the  dust. 

16  My  face  is  red  with  weeping, 

And  upon  my  eyelids  is  deathlike  darkness. 

17  Yet  is  there  no  injustice  in  my  hands. 
And  my  prayer  hath  been  pure. 

18  O  earth !   cover  not  thou  my  blood, 

And  let  there  be  no  hiding-place  for  my  cry ! 

19  Yet  even  now,  behold,  my  witness  is  in  heaven, 
And  he  who  knoweth  me  is  on  high. 

20  My  friends  have  me  in  derision, 

But  my  eye  poureth  out  tears  unto  God. 

21  O  that  one  might  contend  for  a  man  with  God, 
As  a  man  contendeth  with  his  neighbor  ! 

22  For  when  a  few  yeai-s  shall  have  passed, 

I  shall  go  the  way  whence  I  shall  not  return. 

1  My  breath  is  exhausted  ; 
My  days  are  at  an  end ; 
The  grave  is  ready  for  me. 

2  Are  not  revilers  before  me  ? 

And  doth  not  my  eye  dwell  upon  their  provocations  ? 
.  3  Give  a  pledge,  I  pray  thee ;  be  thou  a  surety  for  me  with 
thee ; 
AYho  is  he  that  will  strike  hands  with  me  ? 

4  Behold,  thou  hast  blinded  their  understanding ; 
Therefore  thou  wilt  not  suffer  them  to  prevail. 

5  He  who  delivereth  up  his  friends  as  a  prey,  — 
The  eyes  of  his  children  shall  fail. 


CIIAl'.  XVIll]  JOB.  61 

6  He  hath  made  me  the  by-word  of  the  people  ; 
Yea,  I  have  become  their  al)horreiice. 

7  My  eye  therefore  is  dim  with  sorrow, 
And  all  my  limbs  are  as  a  shadow. 

8  Upright  men  will  be  astonished  at  this. 

And  the  innocent  will  rouse  themselves  against  the  wicked. 

9  The  righteous  will  also  hold  on  his  way, 

And  he  that  hath  clean  hands  will  gather  strength. 

10  But  as  for  you  all,  return,  I  pray ! 

I  find  not  yet  among  you  one  wise  man. 

11  My  days  are  at  an  end ; 
My  plans  are  broken  off; 
Even  the  treasures  of  my  heart. 

12  Night  hath  become  day  to  me ; 
The  light  bordereth  on  darkness. 

13  Yea,  I  look  to  the  grave  as  my  home ; 
I  have  made  my  bed  in  darkness. 

14  I  say  to  the  pit.  Thou  art  my  father  ! 

And  to  the  worm,  My  mother !  and,  My  sister ! 

15  Where  then  is  my  hope  ? 

Yea,  my  hope,  who  shall  see  it? 

16  It  must  go  down  to  the  bars  of  the  under-world, 
As  soon  as  there  is  rest  for  me  in  the  dust. 


XI. 

Second  speech  of  Bildad  the  Shuhite.  —  Chap.  XVIII. 

1  Then  Bildad  the  Shuhite  answered  and  said : 

2  How  long  ere  ye  make  an  end  of  words  ? 
Understand,  and  then  we  will  speak ! 

3  Why  are  we  accounted  as  brutes, 
And  reputed  vile  in  your  sight  ? 

4  Thou  that  tearest  thyself  in  thine  anger ! 
Must  the  earth  be  deserted  for  thee. 
And  the  rock  removed  from  its  place  ? 


62  JOB.  [chap,  xviii. 

6       Behold,  the  light  of  the  wicked  shall  be  put  out, 
And  the  flame  of  his  fire  shall  not  shine. 

6  Light  shall  become  darkness  in  his  tent, 
And  his  lamp  over  him  shall  go  out. 

7  His  strong  steps  shall  be  straitened, 
And  his  own  plans  shall  cast  him  down. 

8  He  is  brought  into  the  net  by  his  own  feet, 
And  he  walketh  upon  snares. 

9  The  trap  layeth  hold  of  him  by  the  heel, 
And  the  snare  holdeth  him  fast. 

10  A  net  is  secretly  laid  for  him  on  the  ground, 
And  a  trap  for  him  in  the  pathway. 

11  Terrors  affright  him  on  every  side, 
And  harass  him  at  his  heels. 

12  His  strength  is  wasted  by  hunger, 
And  destruction  is  ready  at  his  side. 

13  His  limbs  are  consumed, 

Yea,  his  limbs  are  devoured  by  the  first-born  of  death. 

14  He  is  torn  from  his  tent,  which  was  his  confidence. 
And  is  borne  away  to  the  king  of  terrors. 

15  They  who  are  none  of  his  shall  dwell  in  his  tent ; 
Brimstone  shall  be  scattered  upon  his  habitation, 

16  His  roots  below  shall  be  dried  up, 

And  his  branches  above  shall  be  withered. 

17  His  memory  perisheth  from  the  earth, 
And  no  name  hath  he  in  the  land. 

18  He  shall  be  thrust  from  light  into  darkness. 
And  driven  out  of  the  world. 

19  He  hath  no  son,  nor  kinsman  among  his  people. 
Nor  any  survivor  in  his  dwelling-place. 

20  They  that  come  after  him  shall  be  amazed  at  his  fate, 
As  they  that  were  before  them  were  struck  with  horror. 

21  Yea,  such  is  the  dwelling  of  the  unrighteous  man ; 
Such  is  the  place  of  him  who  knowetli  not  God ! 


CHAP.  XIX.]  TOB.  63 

XII. 

Answer  of  Job.  — Chap.  XIX. 

1  But  Job  answered  and  said  : 

2  How  long  will  ye  vex  my  soul, 
And  break  me  in  pieces  with  words  ? 

3  These  ten  times  have  ye  reviled  me ; 
Without  shame  do  ye  stun  me ! 

4  And  be  it,  indeed,  that  I  have  erred, 
My  error  abideth  with  myself. 

5  Since,  indeed,  ye  magnify  yourselves  against  me, 
And  25lead  against  me  my  reproach, 

6  Know  then  that  it  is  God  who  hath  brought  me  low ; 
He  hath  encompassed  me  with  his  net. 

7  Behold,  I  complain  of  wrong,  but  receive  no  answer ; 
I  cry  aloud,  but  obtain  no  justice. 

8  He  hath  fenced  up  my  way,  so  that  I  cannot  pass. 
And  hath  set  darkness  in  my  paths. 

9  He  hath  stripped  me  of  my  glory, 
And  taken  the  crown  from  my  head. 

10  He  hath  destroyed  me  on  every  side,  and  I  am  gone ! 
He  hath  torn  up  my  hope  like  a  tree. 

11  He  kindleth  his  anger  against  me, 
And  counteth  me  as  his  enemy. 

12  His  troops  advance  together  against  me ; 
They  throw  up  for  themselves  a  way  to  me. 
And  encamp  around  my  dwelling. 

13  My  brethren  he  hath  put  far  from  me. 

And  my  acquaintance  are  wholly  estranged  from  me. 

14  My  kinsfolk  have  forsaken  me. 

And  my  bosom  friends  have  forgotten  me. 
13  The  foreigners  of  my  house,  yea,  my  own  maid-servants, 
regard  me  as  a  stranger ; 
I  am  an  alien  in  their  eyes. 

16  I  call  my  servant,  and  he  maketh  no  answer ; 
With  my  own  mouth  do  I  entreat  him. 

17  My  breath  is  become  strange  to  my  wife, 
And  my  prayers  also  to  my  own  mother's  sons. 


64  JOB.  [chap.  XX. 

18  Even  young  children  despise  me  ; 
When  I  rise  up,  they  speak  against  me. 

19  All  my  bosom  friends  abhor  me, 

And  they  whom  I  loved  are  turned  against  me. 

20  My  bones  cleave  to  my  flesh  and  my  skin, 

And  I  have  scarcely  escaped  with  the  skin  of  my  teeth. 

21  Have  pity  upon  me,  O  ye  my  friends  !  have  pity  upon  me ; 
For  the  hand  of  God  hath  smitten  me  ! 

22  Why  do  ye  persecute  me  like  God, 
And  are  not  satisfied  with  my  flesh  ? 

23  0  that  my  words  were  now  written ! 

O  that  they  were  marked  down  in  a  scroll ! 

24  That  with  an  iron  pen,  and  with  lead, 
They  were  engraven  upon  the  rock  for  ever ! 

25  Yet  I  know  that  my  Vindicator  liveth, 
And  will  hereafter  stand  up  on  the  earth ; 

26  And  though  with  my  skin  this  body  be  wasted  away, 
Yet  without  my  flesh  shall  I  see  God. 

27  Yea,  I  shall  see  him  my  friend  ; 

My  eyes  shall  behold  him,  and  not  another: 
For  this,  my  soul  panteth  within  me. 

28  Since  ye  say,  "  How  may  we  persecute  him, 
And  find  grounds  of  accusation  against  him  ?  '* 

29  Be  ye  afraid  of  the  sword ! 

For  malice  is  a  crime  for  the  sword ; 
That  ye  may  know  that  judgment  cometh. 


XIII. 

Second  speech  of  Zophar  the  Naamathite.  —  Chap.  XX. 

1  Then  answered  Zophar  the  Naamathite,  and  said : 

2  For  this  do  my  thoughts  lead  me  to  reply, 
And  for  this  is  my  ardor  within  me. 

3  I  have  heard  my  shameful  rebuke ; 

And  the  spirit,  from  my  understanding,  an^wereth  for  me 


CHAP.  XX.]  JOB.  05 

4  Knowest  thou  not,  that  from  the  days  of  old, 
From  the  time  when  man  was  pLaced  upon  the  earth, 

5  The  triumphing  of  the  wicked  hath  been  short, 
And  the  joy  of  the  impious  but  for  a  moment  ? 

6  Though  his  greatness  mount  up  to  the  heavens, 
And  his  head  reacli  to  the  clouds, 

7  Yet  shall  he  perish  for  ever,  and  be  mingled  with  dust ; 
They  who  saw  him  shall  say,  Where  is  he  ? 

8  He  shall  flee  away  like  a  dream,  and  shall  not  be  found ; 
Yea,  he  shall  disappear  like  a  vision  of  the  night. 

9  The  eye  also  which  saw  him  shall  see  him  no  more, 
And  his  dwelling-place  shall  never  more  behold  him. 

10  His  sons  shall  seek  the  favor  of  the  poor. 
And  their  hands  shall  give  back  his  wealth. 

11  His  bones  are  full  of  his  youth. 

But  they  shall  lie  down  with  him  in  the  dust. 

12  Though  wickedness  be  sweet  in  his  mouth. 
Though  he  hide  it  under  his  tongue, 

13  Though  he  cherish  it,  and  will  not  part  with  it, 
And  keep  it  fast  in  his  mouth, 

14  Yet  his  meat  shall  be  changed  within  him, 
And  become  to  him  the  poison  of  asps. 

15  He  hath  glutted  himself  with  riches. 
And  he  shall  throw  them  up  again ; 
Yea,  God  shall  cast  them  out  of  his  body. 

16  He  shall  suck  the  poison  of  asps  ; 

The  tongue  of  the  viper  shall  destroy  him. 

17  He  shall  never  see  the  flowing  streams, 
And  the  rivers  of  honey  and  milk. 

18  The  fruits  of  his  toil  he  shall  give  back,  and  shall  not 

enjoy  them : 
It  is  substance  to  be  restored,  and  he  shall  not  rejoice 
therein. 

19  Because  he  hath  oppressed  and  abandoned  the  poor, 
And  seized  upon  the  house  which  he  did  not  build ; 

20  Because  he  knew  no  rest  in  his  bosom. 

He  shall  not  save  that  in  which  he  delighteth. 

21  Because  nothing  escaped  his  greediness, 
His  prosperity  shall  not  endure. 


QQ  JOB.  [chap.   XXL 

22  In  the  fulness  of  his  abundance  he  shall  be  brought  low  ; 
Every  hand  of  the  wretched  shall  come  upon  him. 

23  He  shall,  indeed,  have  wherewith  to  fill  himself: 
God  shall  send  u]X)n  him  the  fury  of  his  anger, 
And  rain  it  down  upon  him  for  his  food. 

24  If  he  fleeth  from  the  iron  weapon, 

The  bow  of  brass  shall  pierce  him  through. 

25  He  draweth  the  arrow,  and  it  cometh  forth  from  his  body ; 
Yea,  the  glittering  steel  cometh  out  of  his  gall. 

Terrors  are  upon  him  ; 

26  Calamity  of  every  kind  is  treasured  up  for  him. 
A  fire  not  blown  shall  consume  him  ; 

It  shall  consume  whatever  is  left  in  his  tent. 

27  The  heavens  shall  reveal  his  iniquity, 
And  the  earth  shall  rise  up  against  him. 

28  The  substance  of  his  house  shall  disappear ; 
It  shall  flow  away  in  the  day  of  His  wrath. 

29  Such  is  the  portion  of  the  wicked  man  from  God, 

And  the  inheritance  apijomted  for  him  by  the  Almighty. 


XIV. 

Answer  of  Job.  —  Chap.  XXI. 

1  But  Job  answered  and  said  : 

2  Hear  attentively  my  words. 
And  let  this  be  your  consolation. 

3  Bear  with  me,  that  I  may  speak ; 
And  after  I  have  spoken,  mock  on  ! 

4  Is  my  complaint  concerning  man  ? 
Wliy  then  should  I  not  be  angry  ? 

5  Look  u{)on  me,  and  be  astonished. 
And  lay  your  hand  upon  your  mouth ! 

6  When  I  think  of  it.  I  am  confounded; 
Trembling  taketh  hold  of  my  flesh. 

7  Why  is  it  that  the  wicked  live. 

Grow  old,  yea,  become  mighty  in  substance? 


CIIAP.  XXI  ]  JOB.  67 

8  Their  children  are  established  in  their  sight  with  them, 
And  their  offspring  before  their  eyes. 

9  Their  houses  are  in  peace,  without  fear, 
And  the  rod  of  God  cometh  not  upon  them. 

10  Their  bull  gendereth,  and  faileth  not ; 
Their  cow  calveth,  and  casteth  not  her  calf. 

11  They  send  forth  their  little  ones  like  a  flock, 
And  their  children  dance. 

12  They  sing  to  the  timbrel  and  harp, 
And  rejoice  at  the  sound  of  the  pipe. 

33  They  spend  their  days  in  prosperity, 

And  in  a  moment  go  down  to  the  under-world. 

14  And  yet  they  say  unto  God,  "  Depart  from  us  ! 
We  desire  not  the  knowledge  of  thy  ways  ! 

15  Who  is  the  Almighty,  that  we  should  serve  him  ? 
And  what  will  it  profit  us,  if  we  pray  to  him  ?  " 

16  [Ye  say,]  "  Lo  !  their  prosperity  is  not  secure  in  their 

hands ! 
Far  from  me  be  the  conduct  of  the  wicked ! " 

17  How  often  is  it,  that  the  lamp  of  the  wicked  is  put  out, 
And  that  destruction  cometh  upon  them, 

And  that  He  dispenseth  to  them  tribulations  in  his  anger? 

18  How  often  are  they  as  stubble  before  the  wind, 
Or  as  chaff,  which  the  whirlwind  carrieth  away  ? 

19  "But"   [say  ye]    "God   layeth  up  his  iniquity  for   his 

children." 
Let  him  requite  the  offender,  and  let  him  feel  it ! 

20  Let  his  own  eyes  see  his  destruction, 

And  let  him  drink  of  the  wrath  of  the  Almighty  ! 

21  For  what  concern  hath  he  for  his  household  after  him, 
When  the'  number  of  his  own  months  is  completed  ? 

22  Who  then  shall  impart  knowledge  to  God,  — 
To  him  that  judgeth  the  highest  ? 

23  One  dieth  in  the  fulness  of  his  prosperity, 
Being  wholly  at  ease  and  quiet ; 

24  His  sides  are  full  of  fat. 

And  his  bones  moist  with  marrow. 

25  Another  dieth  in  bitterness  of  soul, 
And  hath  not  tasted  pleasure. 


68  JOB.  [chap.  XXII. 

26  Alike  they  lie  down  in  the  dust, 
And  the  worms  cover  them. 

27  Behold,  I  know  your  thoughts, 

And  the  devices  by  which  ye  wrong  me. 

28  For  ye  say,  "  Where  is  the  house  of  the  oppressor, 
And  where  the  dwelling-places  of  the  wicked  ?  " 

29  Have  ye  never  inquired  of  travellers, 
And  do  ye  not  know  their  tokens, 

00  That  the  wicked  is  spared  in  the  day  of  destruction, 
And  that  he  is  borne  to  his  grave  in  the  day  of  wrath  ? 

31  Who  will  charge  him  with  his  conduct  to  his  face. 
And  who  will  requite  him  for  the  evil  he  hath  done  ? 

32  Even  this  man  is  borne  with  honor  to  the  grave ; 
Yea,  he  watcheth  over  his  tomb. 

33  Sweet  to  him  are  the  sods  of  the  valley : 
And  all  men  move  after  him, 

As  multitudes  without  number  before  him. 

34  Why  then  do  ye  oifer  your  vain  consolations  ? 
Your  answers  continue  false. 


XV. 

Third  speech  of  Eliphaz  the  Temanite.  —  Chap.  XXII. 

1  Then  Eliphaz  the  Temanite  answered  and  said : 

2  Can  a  man,  then,  profit  God  ? 
Behold,  the  wise  man  profiteth  himself. 

3  Is  it  a  pleasure  to  the  Almighty,  that  thou  art  righteous ; 
Or  a  gain  to  him,  tliat  thou  walkest  uprightly  ? 

4  Will  he  contend  with  thee  because  he  feareth  thee  ? 
Will  he  enter  with  thee  into  judgment  ? 

5  Hath  not  thy  wickedness  been  great  ? 
Have  not  thine  iniquities  been  numberless  ? 

6  For  thou  hast  taken  a  pledge  from  thy  brother  unjustly, 
And  stripped  the  poor  of  their  clothing. 

7  Thou  hast  given  the  weary  no  water  to  drink, 
And  withholden  bread  from  the  hungry. 


CHAP,  xxn]  JOB.  69 

8  But  the  man  of  power,  his  was  the  land, 
And  the  honorable  man  dwelt  in  it. 

9  Thou  hast  sent  widows  away  empty, 
And  broken  the  arms  of  the  fatherless. 

10  Therefore  snares  are  round  about  thee. 
And  sudden  fear  confoundeth  thee  ; 

11  Or  darkness,  through  which  thou  canst  not  see, 
And  floods  of  water  cover  thee. 

12  Is  not  God  in  the  height  of  heaven  ? 
And  behold  the  stars,  how  high  they  are ! 

13  Hence  thou  sayest,  "  What  doth  God  know  ? 
Can  he  govern  behind  th0  thick  darkness  ? 

14  Dark  clouds  are  a  veil  to  him,  and  he  cannot  see ; 
And  he  walketh  upon  the  arch  of  heaven." 

15  Wilt  thou  take  the  old  way 
Which  wicked  men  have  trodden, 

16  Who  were  cut  down  before  their  time. 

And  whose  foundations  were  swept  away  by  a  flood? 

17  Who  said  unto  God,  "  Depart  from  us  !  " 
And,  "  What  can  the  Almighty  do  to  us  ?  " 

18  And  yet  he  filled  their  houses  with  good  things !  — 
Far  from  me  be  the  counsel  of  the  wicked ! 

19  The  righteous  see  their  fate,  and  rejoice ; 
And  the  innocent  hold  them  in  derision. 

20  "  Truly  our  adversary  is  destroyed. 
And  fire  hath  consumed  his  abundance  !  " 

21  Acquaint  now  thyself  with  him,  and  be  at  peace : 
Thus  shall  prosperity  return  to  thee. 

22  Receive,  I  pray  thee,  instruction  from  his  mouth, 
And  lay  up  his  words  in  thy  heart. 

23  If  thou  return  to  the  Almighty,  thou  shalt  be  built  up ; 
If  thou  put  away  iniquity  from  thy  tent. 

24  Cast  to  the  dust  thy  gold. 

And  the  gold  of  Opliir  to  the  stones  of  the  brook: 

25  Then  shall  the  Almighty  be  thy  gold, 
Yea,  treasures  of  silver  unto  thee  ; 

26  For  then  shalt  thou  have  delight  in  the  Almighty, 
And  shalt  lift  up  thy  face  unto  God. 


70  JOB.  [chap.  xxin. 

27  Thou  shalt  pray  to  him,  and  he  shall  hear  thee, 
And  thou  shalt  perform  thy  vows. 

28  The  purpose  which  thou  formest  shall  prosper  with  thee, 
Aud  light  shall  shine  upon  thy  ways. 

29  When  men  are  cast   down,  thou    shalt   say,  "  There   is 

lifting  up !  " 
And  the  humble  person  he  will  save. 

30  He  will  deliver  even  him  that  is  not  innocent. 
The  purity  of  thy  hands  shall  save  him. 


XVI. 

Answer  of  Job.  —  Chap.  XXIIL,  XXTV. 

1  Then  Job  answered  and  said  : 

2  Still  is  my  complaint  bitter  ; 

But  my  wound  is  deeper  than  my  groaning. 

3  O  that  I  knew  where  I  might  hnd  him  ! 
That  I  might  go  before  his  throne  ! 

4  I  would  order  my  cause  before  him. 
And  fill  my  mouth  with  arguments  ; 

5  I  should  know  what  he  would  answer  me, 
And  understand  what  he  would  say  to  me. 

6  Would  he  contend  with  me  with  his  mighty  power  ? 
No !  he  would  have  regard  to  me. 

7  Then  would  an  upright  man  contend  with  him. 
And  I  should  be  fully  acquitted  by  my  judge. 

8  But,  behold,  I  go  eastward,  and  he  is  not  there ; 
And  westward,  but  I  cannot  perceive  him  ; 

9  To  the  north,  where  he  worketh,  but  I  cannot  behold 

him ; 
He  hideth  himself  on  the  south,  and  I  cannot  see  him. 

10  But  he  knoweth  the  way  which  is  in  my  heart ; 
When  he  trieth  me,  I  shall  come  forth  as  gold. 

11  My  feet  have  trodden  in  his  steps ; 

His  way  I  have  kept,  and  have  not  turned  aside  from 
it 


CHAP.    XXIV.]  JOB.  71 

12  I  have  not  neglected  the  precepts  of  his  lips ; 

Above  my  own  law  liave  I  esteemed  the  words  of   his 
mouth. 

13  But  he  is  of  one  mind,  and  v^ho  can  turn  him? 
And  what  he  desireth,  that  he  doeth. 

14  He  performeth  that  which  is  appointed  for  me ; 
And  many  such  things  are  in  his  mind ! 

15  Therefore  I  am  in  terror  on  account  of  him  ; 
When  I  consider,  1  am  afraid  of  him. 

16  For  God  maketh  my  heart  faint ; 
Yea,  the  Almighty  terrifieth  me ; 

17  Because  I  was  not  taken  away  before  darkness  came, 
And  he  hath  not  hidden  darkness  from  mine  eyes. 

1  Why  are  not  times  treasured  up  by  the  Almighty  ? 
And  w^hy  do  not  they  who  know  him  see  his  days  ? 

2  They  remove  landmarks  ; 

They  take  away  flocks  by  violence,  and  pasture  them. 

3  They  drive  away  the  ass  of  the  fatherless, 
And  take  the  widow's  ox  for  a  pledge. 

4  They  push  the  needy  from  the  way ; 

All  the  poor  of  the  land  are  forced  to  hide  themselves. 

5  Behold,  like  wild  asses  of  the  desert,  they  go  forth  to  their 

work ; 
They  search  for  prey  ; 
The  wilderness  supplieth  them  food  for  their  children. 

6  In  the  fields  they  reap  the  harvest, 

And  gather  the  vintage  of  the  oppressor. 

7  They  lodge  naked,  without  clothing. 
And  without  covering  from  the  cold. 

8  They  are  drenched  with  the  mountain  showers, 
And  embrace  the  rock  for  want  of  shelter. 

9  The  fatherless  are  torn  from  the  breast, 

And  the  garment  of  the  needy  is  taken  for  a  pledge. 

10  They  go  naked,  without  clothing. 
And  carry  the  sheaf  hungry. 

11  They  make  oil  within  their  walls. 

And  tread  the  wine-vat,  yet  suffer  thirst. 


72  JOB.  [chap.  XXIV. 

12  From  anguish  the  dying  groan, 
And  the  wounded  cry  aloud  ; 

And  God  regardeth  not  their  prayer  ! 

13  Others  hate  the  light ; 
They  know  not  its  ways, 
And  abide  not  in  its  paths. 

14  With  the  light  ariseth  the  murderer ; 
He  killeth  the  poor  and  needy  ; 

In  the  night  he  is  as  a  thief. 

15  The  eye  of  the  adulterer  watcheth  for  the  twilight ; 
He  saith,  "  No  eye  will  see  me," 

And  putteth  a  mask  upon  his  face. 

16  In  the  dark  they  break  into  houses ; 

In  the  daytime  they  shut  themselves  up  ; 
They  are  strangers  to  the  light. 

17  The  morning  is  to  them  the  very  shadow  of  death ; 
They  are  familiar  with  the  terrors  of  the  shadow  of  death, 

18  Light  are  they  on  the  face  of  the  waters ; 
They  have  an  accursed  portion  in  the  earth ; 
They  come  not  near  the  vineyards. 

19  As  drought  and  heat  consume  the  snow  waters, 
So  doth  the  grave  the  wicked. 

20  His  own  mother  forgetteth  him ; 
The  worm  feedeth  sweetly  on  him ; 
He  is  no  more  remembered. 

And  iniquity  is  broken  like  a  tree. 

21  He  oppresseth  the  barren,  that  hath  not  borne, 
And  doeth  not  good  to  the  widow. 

22  He  taketh  away  the  mighty  by  his  power ; 
He  riseth  up,  and  no  one  is  sure  of  life. 

23  God  giveth  them  security,  so  that  they  are  confident ; 
His  eyes  are  upon  their  ways. 

24  They  are  exalted ;  —  in  a  little  while  they  are  gone ! 
They  are  brought  low,  and  die,  like  all  others  ; 

And  like  the  topmost  ears  of  corn  are  they  cut  off. 

25  If  it  be  not  so,  who  will  confute  me. 
And  show  my  discourse  to  be  worthless  ? 


CHAP,  xxvi-l  JOB.  73 


XVII. 

Third  speech  of  Bildad  the  Shuhite.  —  Chap.  XXV. 

1  Then  answered  Bildad  the  Shuhite,  and  said : 

2  Dominion  and  fear  are  with  Him ; 
He  maintaineth  peace  in  his  high  places. 

3  Is  there  any  numbering  of  his  hosts  ? 
And  upon  whom  doth  not  his  light  arise  ? 

4  How  then  can  man  be  righteous  before  God  ? 
Or  how  can  he  be  pure  that  is  born  of  woman  ? 

5  Behold,  even  the  moon,  it  shineth  not ; 
And  the  stars  are  not  pure  in  his  sight. 

6  How  much  less,  man,  a  worm ; 
And  the  son  of  man,  a  reptile ! 


xvin. 

Answer  of  Job.  —  Chap.  XXVI. 

1  Then  Job  answered  and  said : 

2  How  hast  thou  helped  the  weak. 
And  strengthened  the  feeble  arm ! 

3  How  hast  thou  counselled  the  ignorant, 
And  revealed  wisdom  in  fulness  ! 

4  For  whom  hast  thou  uttered  these  words  ? 
And  whose  spirit  spake  through  thee  ? 

5  Before  Him  the  shades  tremble 
Beneath  the  waters  and  their  inhabitants. 

6  The  under-world  is  naked  before  him. 
And  destruction  is  without  covering. 

7  He  stretcheth  out  the  north  over  empty  space, 
And  hangeth  the  earth  upon  nothing. 

8  He  bindeth  up  the  waters  in  his  thick  clouds, 
And  the  cloud  is  not  rent  under  them. 

9  He  covereth  the  face  of  his  throne. 
And  spreadeth  his  clouds  upon  it. 

4 


74  JOB.  [chap   xxvu. 

10  He  hath  drawn  a  circular  bound  upon  the  waters, 
To  the  confines  of  light  and  darkness. 

11  The  pillars  of  heaven  tremble 
And  are  confounded  at  his  rebuke. 

12  By  his  power  he  stilleth  the  sea, 

Yea,  by  his  wisdom  he  smiteth  its  pride. 

13  By  his  spirit  he  hath  garnished  the  heavens ; 
His  hand  hath  formed  the  fleeing  Serpent. 

14  Lo !   these  are  but  the  borders  of  his  works ; 
How  faint  the  whisper  we  have  heard  of  him ! 
But  the  thunder  of  his  power  who  can  understand  ? 


XIX. 

Answer  of  Job  to  all  three  of  his  opponents.  —  Chap.  XXYII.,  XXVIII. 

1  Moreover  Job  continued  his  discourse,  and  said : 

2  As  God  liveth,  who  hath  rejected  my  cause, 
And  the  Almighty,  who  hath  afllicted  my  soul ; 

3  As  long  as  my  breath  is  in  me, 

And  the  spirit  of  God  is  in  my  nostrils, 

4  Never  shall  my  lips  speak  falsehood. 
Nor  my  tongue  utter  deceit. 

5  God  forbid  that  I  should  acknowledge  you  to  be  just : 
To  my  last  breath  will  I  assert  my  integrity. 

6  I  will  hold  fast  my  innocence,  and  not  let  it  go ; 
My  heart  reproacheth  me  for  no  part  of  my  life. 

7  May  mine  enemy  be  as  the  wicked. 

And  he  that  riseth  up  against  me  as  the  unrighteous ! 

8  For  what  is  the  hope  of  the  wicked,  when  God  cutteth  off 

his  web. 
And  taketli  away  his  life  ? 

9  Will  he  listen  to  his  cry, 
When  trouble  cometh  upon  him  ? 

10  Can  he  delight  himself  in  the  Almighty, 
And  call  at  all  times  upon  God  ? 

11  I  will  teach  you  concerning  the  hand  of  God; 
That  which  is  with  the  Almighty  I  will  not  conceal. 


CHAP.  XXVIII.]  JOB.  75 

12  Behold,  ye  yourselves  have  all  seen  it ; 
Why  then  do  ye  cherish  such  vain  thoughts  ? 

13  This  is  the  portion  of  the  wicked  man  from  God, — 

The  inheritance  which   oppressors   receive  from  the    Al- 
mighty. 

14  If  his  children  be  multiplied,  it  is  for  the  sword ; 
And  his  offspring  shall  not  be  satisfied  with  bread. 

15  Those  of  them  that  escape  shall  be  buried  by  Death, 
And  their  widows  shall  not  bewail  them. 

16  Though  he  heap  up  silver  as  dust, 
And  procure  raiment  as  clay,  — 

17  He  may  procure,  but  the  righteous  shall  wear  it, 
And  the  innocent  shall  share  the  silver. 

18  He  buildeth  his  house  like  the  moth. 

Or  like  the  shed  which  the  watchman  maketh. 

19  The  rich  man  lieth  down,  and  is  not  buried; 
In  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  he  is  no  more. 

20  Terrors  pursue  him  like  a  flood ; 

A  tempest  stealeth  him  away  in  the  night. 

21  The  east  wind  carrieth  him  away,  and  he  perisheth ; 
Yea,  it  sweepeth  him  away  from  his  place. 

22  God  sendeth  his  arrows  at  him,  and  doth  not  spare ; 
He  would  fain  escape  from  'His  hand. 

23  Men  clap  their  hands  at  him. 
And  hiss  him  away  from  his  place. 


Truly  there  is  a  vein  for  silver. 
And  a  place  for  gold,  which  men  refine. 
Iron  is  obtained  from  earth. 
And  stone  is  melted  into  copper. 
Man  putteth  an  end  to  darkness  ; 
He  searcheth  to  the  lowest  depths 
For  the  stone  of  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death. 
From  the  place  where  they  dwell  they  open  a  shaft ; 
Forgotten  by  the  feet. 

They  hang  down,  they  swing  away  from  men. 
The  earth,  out  of  which  cometh  bread, 
Is  torn  up  underneath,  as  it  were  by  fire. 
Her  stones  are  the  place  of  sapphires, 
Ajid  she  hath  clods  of  gold  for  man. 


76  JOB.  [chap,  xxvra. 

7  The  path  thereto  no  bird  knoweth, 
And  the  vulture's  eye  hath  not  seen  it ; 

8  The  fierce  wild  beast  hath  not  trodden  it ; 
The  lion  hath  not  passed  over  it. 

9  Man  layeth  his  hand  upon  the  rock; 

He  upturneth  mountains  from  their  roots ; 

10  He  cleaveth  out  streams  in  the  rocks, 
And  his  eye  seeth  every  precious  thing ; 

11  He  bindeth  up  the  streams,  that  they  trickle  not, 
And  bringeth  hidden  things  to  light. 

12  But  where  shall  wisdom  be  found  ? 
And  where  is  the  place  of  understanding? 

13  Man  knoweth  not  the  price  thereof, 

Nor  can  it  be  found  in  the  land  of  the  living. 

14  The  deep  saith.  It  is  not  in  me ; 
And  the  sea  saith,  It  is  not  with  me. 

15  It  cannot  be  gotten  for  gold. 

Nor  shall  silver  be  weighed  out  as  the  price  thereof. 

16  It  cannot  be  bought  with  the  gold  of  Ophir, 
With  the  precious  onyx  or  the  sapphire. 

17  Gold  and  crystal  are  not  to  be  compared  with  it ; 
Nor  can  it  be  purchased  with  jewels  of  fine  gold. 

18  No  mention  shall  be  made  of  coral  or  of  crystal ; 
For  wisdom  is  more  precious  than  pearls. 

19  The  topaz  of  Ethiopia  cannot  equal  it, 
Nor  can  it  be  purchased  with  j)ure  gold. 

20  Whence  then  cometh  wisdom  ? 

And  where  is  the  place  of  understanding? 

21  Since  it  is  hidden  from  the  eyes  of  all  living, 
And  kept  close  from  the  fowls  of  the  air. 

22  Destruction  and  Death  say, 

We  have  heard  a  rumor  of  it  with  our  ears. 

23  God  knoweth  the  way  to  it ; 
He  knoweth  its  dwelling-place. 

24  For  he  seeth  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

And  surveyeth  all  things  under  the  whole  heaven. 

25  When  he  gave  the  winds  their  weight. 
And  meted  out  the  waters  by  measure ; 


CHAP.   XXIX.]  JOB.  77 

26  When  he  prescribed  a  law  to  the  rain, 
And  a  path  to  the  thunderflash, — 

27  Then  did  he  see  it,  and  make  it  known ; 
He  established  it,  and  searched  it  out. 

28  But  he  said  unto  man, 

Behold,  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  that  is  wisdom, 
And  to  depart  from  evil  is  understanding. 


XX. 

Job's  review  of  his  past  life.  —  Chap.  XXIX.-XXXI. 

1  Moreover  Job  continued  his  discourse,  and  said : 

2  O  that  I  were  as  in  months  past. 

In  the  days  when  God  was  my  guardian  ; 

3  When  his  lamp  shined  over  my  head, 

And  when  by  his  light  I  walked  through  darkness  ! 

4  As  I  was  in  the  autumn  of  my  days. 

When  the  friendship  of  God  was  over  my  tent ; 

5  When  the  Almighty  was  yet  with  me, 
And  my  children  were  around  me ; 

6  When  I  bathed  my  steps  in  milk. 

And  the  rock  poured  me  out  rivers  of  oil ! 

7  When  I  went  forth  to  the  gate  by  the  city, 
And  took  my  seat  in  the  market-place, 

8  The  young  men  saw  me  and  hid  themselves, 
And  the  ao-ed  arose  and  stood. 

9  The  princes  refrained  from  speaking, 
And  laid  their  hand  upon  their  mouth. 

10  The  nobles  held  their  peace. 

And  their  tongue  cleaved  to  the  roof  of  their  mouth. 

11  When  the  ear  heard  me,  then  it  blessed  me ; 
And  when  the  eye  saw  me,  it  gave  witnes^  to  me. 

12  For  I  delivered  the  poor,  when  they  cried  ; 
And  the  fatherless,  who  had  none  to  help  him. 

13  The  blessing  of  him  that  was  ready  to  perish  came  upon 

me. 
And  I  caused  the  heart  of  the  widow  to  sing  for  joy. 


78  JOB.  [chap.  XXX. 

14  I  clothed  myself  with  righteousness,  and  it  clothed  itself 

with  me ; 
And  justice  was  my  robe  and  diadem. 

15  I  was  eyes  to  the  blind, 
And  feet  was  I  to  the  lame ; 

16  I  was  a  father  to  the  poor, 

And  the  cause  of  him  I  knew  not  I  searched  out ; 

17  And  I  broke  the  teeth  of  the  wicked, 
And  plucked  the  spoil  from  his  jaws. 

18  Then  said  I,  "  I  shall  die  in  my  nest ; 
I  shall  multiply  my  days  as  the  sand. 

19  My  root  is  spread  abroad  to  the  waters, 
And  the  dew  abideth  on  my  branches. 

20  My  glory  is  fresh  with  me, 

And  my  bow  gathereth  strength  in  my  hand." 

21  To  me  men  gave  ear,  and  waited, 
And  kept  silence  for  my  counsel. 

22  To  my  words  they  made  no  reply, 

When  my  speech  dropped  down  upon  them. 

23  Yea,  they  waited  for  me  as  for  the  rain ; 

They  opened  their  mouths  wide  as  for  the  latter  rain. 

24  If  I  smiled  upon  them,  they  believed  it  not ; 

Nor  did  they  cause  the  light  of  my  countenance  to  fall. 

25  When  I  came  among  them,  I  sat  as  chief; 

I  dwelt  as  a  king  in  the  midst  of  an  army,  — 
As  a  comforter  among  mourners. 

1  But  now  they  that  are  younger  than  I  hold  me  in  de- 

rision, 
Whose  fathers  I  would  have  disdained  to  set  with  the 
dogs  of  my  flock. 

2  Of  what  use  to  me  would  be  even  the  strength  of  their 
To  whom  old  age  is  lost  ?  [hands. 

3  By  want  and  hunger  they  are  famished  ; 
They  gnaw  the  dry  desert. 

The  darkness  of  desolate  wastes. 

4  They  gather  purslain  among  the  bushes, 
And  the  root  of  tlie  broom  is  their  bread. 

6  They  are  driven  from  the  society  of  men  ; 
There  is  a  cry  after  them  as  after  a  thief. 


CHAP.    XXX.]  JOB.  79 

6  They  dwell  in  gloomy  valleys, 

111  caves  of  the  earth  and  in  rocks. 

7  They  bray  among  the  bushes  ; 

Under  the  brambles  are  they  stretched  out. 

8  An  impious  and  low-born  race, 
They  are  beaten  out  of  the  land. 

9  And  now  I  am  become  their  song ; 
Yea,  I  am  their  by-word ! 

10  They  abhor  me,  they  stand  aloof  from  me ; 
They  forbear  not  to  spit  before  my  face. 

11  Yea,  they  let  loose  the  reins,  and  humble  me ; 
They  cast  off  the  bridle  before  me. 

12  On  my  right  hand  riseth  up  the  brood ; 
They  thrust  away  my  feet ; 

They  cast  up  against  me  their  destructive  ways. 

13  They  break  up  my  path  ;  »■ 
They  hasten  my  fall,  — 

They  who  have  no  helper ! 

14  They  come  upon  me  as  through  a  wide  breach; 
Through  the  ruins  they  rush  in  upon  me. 

15  Terrors  are  turned  against  me  ; 

They  pursue  my  prosperity  like  the  wind, 
And  my  welfare  passeth  away  like  a  cloud. 

16  And  now  my  soul  poureth  itself  out  upon  me ; 
Days  of  affliction  have  taken  hold  of  me. 

17  By  night  my  bones  are  pierced ;  they  are  torn  from  me, 
And  my  gnawers  take  no  rest. 

18  Through  the  violence  of  my  disease  is  my  garment  changed ; 
It  bindeth  mc  about  like  the  collar  of  my  tunic. 

19  He  hath  cast  me  into  the  mire, 

And  I  am  become  like  dust  and  ashes. 

20  I  call  upon  Thee,  but  thou  dost  not  hear  me ; 

I  stand  up  before  thee,  but  thou  regardest  me  not. 

21  Thou  art  become  cruel  to  me ; 

With  thy  strong  hand  dost  thou  lie  in  wait  for  me. 

22  Thou    liftest   me   up,  and  causest  me  to  ride  upon  the 

wind ; 
Thou  meltest  me  away  in  the  storm. 

23  I  know  that  thou  wilt  bring  me  to  death, 
To  the  place  of  assembly  for  all  the  living. 


80  JOB.  [chap.  XXXI. 

24  'SYlien  He  stretchetli  out  his  hand,  prayer  availeth  nothing ; 
When  He  bringeth  destruction,  vain  is  the  cry  for  help. 

25  Did  not  I  weep  for  him  that  was  in  trouble  ? 
Was  not  my  soul  grieved  for  the  poor  ? 

26  But  when  I  looked  for  good,  then  evil  came ; 
IVTien  I  looked  for  light,  then  came  darkness. 

27  My  bowels  boil,  and  have  no  rest ; 
Days  of  anguish  have  come  upon  me. 

28  I  am  black,  but  not  by  the  sun  ; 

I  stand  up,  and  utter  my  cries  in  the  congregation. 

29  I  am  become  a  brother  to  jackals, 
And  a  companion  to  ostriches. 

30  My  skin  is  black,  and  falleth  from  me, 
And  my  bones  burn  with  heat. 

31  My  harp  also  is  turned  to  mourning, 
And  my  pipe  to  notes  of  grief. 

1  I  made  a  covenant  with  mine  eyes  ; 
How  then  could  I  gaze  upon  a  maid  ? 

2  For  what  is  the  portion  appointed  by  God  from  above. 
And  the  inheritance  allotted  by  the   Almighty  from  on 

3  Is  not  destruction  for  the  wicked,  [liigh  ? 
And  ruin  for  the  workers  of  iniquity  ? 

4  Doth  He  not  see  my  ways. 
And  number  all  my  steps  ? 

6       If  I  have  walked  with  falsehood, 
And  if  my  foot  hath  hasted  to  deceit, 

6  Let  him  weigh  me  in  an  even  balance ; 
Yea,  let  God  know  my  integrity ! 

7  If  my  steps  have  turned  aside  from  the  way, 
And  my  heart  gone  after  mine  eyes, 

Or  if  any  stain  hath  cleaved  to  my  hand, 

8  Then  I  may  sow,  and  another  eat ; 
And  what  I  plant,  may  it  be  rooted  up ! 

9  If  my  heart  hath  been  enticed  by  a  woman. 
Or  if  I  have  watched  at  my  neighbor's  door, 

10  Tlien  let  my  wife  grind  for  another. 
And  let  other  men  lie  with  her  ! 

11  For  this  were  a  heinous  crime. 

Even  a  transgression  to  be  punished  by  the  judges ; 


CHAP.    XXXI.]  JOB.  81 

12  Yea,  it  were  a  fire  that  would  consume  to  destruction, 
And  root  out  all  my  increase. 

13  If  I  have  refused  justice  to  my  man-servant  or  maid- 

servant, 
When  they  had  a  controversy  with  me, 

14  Then  what  shall  I  do  when  God  riseth  up  ? 
And  when  he  visiteth,  what  shall  I  answer  him  ? 

15  Did  not  He  that  made  me  in  the  womb  make  him  ? 
Did  not  one  fashion  us  in  the  womb  ? 

16  If  I  have  refused  the  poor  their  desire, 
And  caused  the  eyes  of  the  wddow  to  fail; 

17  If  I  have  eaten  my  morsel  alone, 

And  the  fatherless  hath  not  partaken  of  it ; 

18  (Nay,  from  my  youth  he  grew  up  with  me  as  with  a 

father, 
And  I  have  helped  the  widow  from  my  mother's  womb ;) 

19  If  I  have  seen  any  one  perishing  for  want  of  clothing. 
Or  any  poor  man  without  covering ; 

20  If  his  loins  have  not  blessed  me. 

And  he  hath  not  been  warmed  with  the  fleece  of  my  sheep ; 

21  If  I  have  shaken  my  hand  against  the  fatherless, 
Because  I  saw  my  help  in  the  gate,  — 

22  Then  may  my  shoulder  ftdl  from  its  blade, 
And  my  fore-arm  be  broken  from  its  bone ! 

23  For  destruction  from  God  was  a  terror  to  me, 
And  before  his  majesty  I  could  do  nothing. 

24  If  I  have  made  gold  my  trust, 

Or  said  to  the  fine  gold.  Thou  art  my  confidence ; 

25  If  I  have  rejoiced,  because  my  wealth  was  great, 
And  my  hand  had  found  abundance ; 

26  If  I  have  beheld  the  sun  in  his  splendor, 
Or  the  moon  advancing  in  brightness, 

27  And  my  heart  hath  been  secretly  enticed. 
And  my  mouth  hath  kissed  my  hand,  — 

28  This  also  were  a  crime  to  be  punished  by  the  judge ; 
For  I  should  have  denied  the  God  w^ho  is  above. 

29  If  I  have  rejoiced  at  the  destruction  of  him  that  hated  me, 
And  exulted  when  evil  came  upon  him ; 

4* 


82  JOB.  [chap.  xxxu. 

30  (Nay,  I  have  not  suffered  my  mouth  to  sin, 
By  asking  with  curses  his  life  ;) 

31  If  the  men  of  my  tent  have  not  exclaimed, 

"  Who  is  there  that  hath  not  been  satisfied  with  his  meat  ?  " 

32  The  stranger  did  not  lodge  in  the  street ; 

I  opened  my  doors  to  the  traveller.  [sion, 

33  Have  I,  after  the  manner  of  men,   hidden  my   transgres- 
Concealing  my  iniquity  in  my  bosom, 

34  Then  let  me  be  confounded  before  the  great  multitude ! 
Let  the  contempt  of  families  cover  me  with  shame ! 
Yea,  let  me  keep  silence  !  let  me  never  appear  abroad ! 

35  O  that  there  were  one  who  would  hear  me ! 
Behold  my  signature  !  let  the  Almighty  answer  me. 
And  let  mine  adversary  write  down  his  charge ! 

36  Truly  I  would  wear  it  upon  my  shoulder ; 
I  would  bind  it  upon  me  as  a  crown. 

37  I  would  disclose  to  him  all  my  steps ; 
I  would  approach  him  like  a  prince. 

38  If  my  land  cry  out  against  me, 
And  its  furrows  bewail  together  ; 

39  If  I  have  eaten  of  its  fruits  without  payment, 
And  wrung  out  the  life  of  its  owners,  — 

40  Let  thorns  grow  up  instead  of  wheat, 
And  noxious  weeds  instead  of  barley. 

The  words  of  Job  are  ended. 


XXL 

•     Speech  of  Elihu.  —  Chap.  XXXIL-XXXYH. 

1  So  these  three  men  ceased  to  answer  Job,  because  he 

2  was  righteous  in  his  own  eyes.  Then  was  kindled  the 
wrath  of  Elihu,  the  son  of  Barachel,  the  Buzite,  of  the 
family  of  Ram ;  against  Job  was  his  wrath  kindled,  be- 
cause he  accounted    himself  righteous  rather  than  God. 

3  Against  his  three  friends  also  was  his  wrath  kindled,  be- 
cause they  had  not  found  an  answer,  and  yet  had  con- 


CHAP.  XXXII  ]  JOB.  83 

4  demned  Job.     Now  Elihu  had  delayed  to  reply  to  Job, 

5  because  they  were  older  than  himself.     But  when  Elihu 
saw  that  there  was  no  answer  in  the  mouth  of  these  three 

6  men,  his  wrath  was  kindled.     Then  spake  Elihu,  the  son 
of  Barachel,  the  Buzite,  and  said : 

I  am  young,  and  ye  are  very  old ; 
Therefore  I  was  afraid, 
And  durst  not  make  known  to  you  my  opinion. 

7  I  said,  "  Days  should  speak. 

And  the  multitude  of  3  ears  should  teach  wisdom." 

8  But  it  is  the  spirit  in  man, 

Even  the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty,  that  giveth  him  un- 
derstanding. 

9  Great  men  are  not  always  wise. 

Nor  do  the  aged  always  understand  what  is  right. 

10  Therefore,  I  pray,  listen  to  me : 
I  also  will  declare  my  opinion. 

11  Behold,  I  have  waited  for  your  words, 
I  have  listened  to  your  arguments. 
Whilst  ye  searched  out  what  to  say  ; 

12  Yea,  I  have  attended  to  you  ; 

And  behold,  none  of  you  hath  refuted  Job,   / 
Nor  answered  his  words. 

13  Say  not,  then,  "  We  have  found  out  wisdom ; 
God  must  conquer  him,  not  man." 

14  He  hath  not  directed  his  discourse  against  me, 

And  with  speeches  like  yours  will  I  not  answer  him. 

15  They  were  confounded  !  they  answered  no  more ! 
They  could  say  nothing ! 

16  I  waited,  but  they  spake  not ; 

They  stood  still ;  they  answered  no  more  ! 

17  Therefore  will  I  answer,  on  my  part ; 
I  also  will  show  my  opinion. 

18  For  T  am  full  of  matter ; 

The  spirit  within  me  constraineth  me. 
li)  Behold,  my  bosom  is  as  wine  that  hath  no  vent ; 

Like  bottles  of  new  wine,  which  are  bursting. 
20  I  will  speak,  that  I  may  be  relieved ; 

I  will  open  my  lips  and  answer. 


84  JOB.  [chap,  xxxm 

21  I  will  not  be  partial  to  any  man's  person, 
Nor  will  I  flatter  any  man. 

22  For  I  know  not  how  to  flatter  ; 

Soon  would  my  Maker  take  me  away. 

1  Hear,  therefore,  my  discourse,  I  pray  thee,  0  Job ! 
And  attend  unto  all  my  words ! 

2  Behold,  I  am  opening  my  mouth ; 

My  tongue  is  now  s-peaking  in  my  palate. 

3  My  words  shall  be  in  the  uprightness  of  my  heart; 
My  lips  shall  utter  knowledge  purely. 

4  The  spirit  of  God  made  me, 

And  the  breath  of  the  Almighty  gave  me  life. 

5  If  thou  art  able,  answer  me ; 

Set  thyself  in  array  against  me  ;  stand  up  ! 

6  Behold,  I,  like  thee,  am  a  creature  of  God; 
I  also  was  formed  of  clay. 

7  Behold,  my  terror  cannot  dismay  thee, 
Nor  can  my  greatness  be  heavy  upon  thee. 

8  Surely  thou  hast  said  in  my  hearing, 
I  have  heard  the  sound  of  thy  words : 

9  "  I  am  pure,  and  without  transgression ; 

I  am  clean,  and  there  is  no  iniquity  in  me. 

10  Behold,  He  seeketh  causes  of  hostility  against  me ; 
He  regardeth  me  as  his  enemy. 

11  He  putteth  my  feet  in  the  stocks  ; 
He  watcheth  all  my  paths." 

1^  Behold,  in  this  thou  art  not  right ;  I  will  answer  thee ; 
For  God  is  greater  than  man. 

13  Why  dost  thou  contend  with  Him  ? 

For  he  giveth  no  account  of  any  of  his  doings. 

14  For  God  speaketh  once. 

Yea,  twice,  when  man  regardeth  it  not. 

15  In  a  dream,  in  a  vision  of  the  night, 
When  deep  sleep  falleth  upon  men, 
In  slumber  upon  the  bed ; 

16  Then  openeth  he  the  ears  of  men. 
And  sealeth  up  for  them  admonition ; 

17  That  he  may  turn  man  from  his  purpose, 
And  hide  pride  from  man. 


CHAP.    XXXIV  ]  JOB.  85 

4' 

18  Thus  he  saveth  him  from  the  pit, 

Yea,  his  life  from  perishing  by  the  sword. 

19  He  is  chastened  also  with  pain  upon  his  bed, 
And  with  a  continual  agitation  of  his  bones, 

20  So  that  his  mouth  abhorreth  bread. 
And  his  taste  the  choicest  food ; 

21  His  flesh  is  consumed,  that  it  cannot  be  seen, 
And  his  bones,  that  were  invisible,  are  naked ; 

22  Yea,  his  soul  draweth  near  to  the  pit, 
And  his  life  to  the  destroyers. 

23  But  if  there  be  with  him  a  messenger, 
An  interpreter,  one  of  a  thousand, 
Who  may  show  unto  man  his  duty, 

24  Then  will  God  be  gracious  to  him,  and  say, 
"  Save  him  from  going  down  to  the  pit: 

I  have  found  a  ransom." 

25  His  flesh  shall  became  fresher  than  a  child's ; 
He  shall  return  to  the  days  of  his  youth. 

26  He  shall  pray  to  God,  and  he  will  be  favorable  to  him, 
And  permit  him  to  see  his  face  with  joy, 

And  restore  unto  man  his  righteousness. 

27  He  shall  sing  among  men,  and  say, 
"  I  sinned  ;  I  acted  perversely  ; 
Yet  hath  he  not  requited  me  for  it : 

28  He  hath  delivered  me  from  going  down  to  the  pit, 
And  my  life  beholdeth  the  light." 

29  Lo !  all  these  things  doeth  God 
Time  after  time  with  man, 

30  That  he  may  bring  him  back  from  the  pit, 
That  he  may  enjoy  the  light  of  the  living. 

31  Mark  well,  O  Job  !  hearken  to  me ! 
Keep  silence,  and  I  will  speak. 

32  Yet  if  thou  hast  any  thing  to  say,  answer  me  ! 
Speak !  for  I  desire  to  pronounce  thee  innocent. 

33  But  if  not,  do  thou  listen  to  me ! 

Keep  silence,  and  I  will  teach  thee  wisdom ! 

1       And  Elihu  proceeded,  and  said : 


86  JOB.  [chap.  XXXIV. 

* 

2  Hear  my  words,  ye  wise  men ! 

Give  ear  to  me,  ye  that  have  knowledge ! 

3  For  the  ear  trieth  words, 
As  the  mouth  tasteth  meat. 

4  Let  us  examine  for  ourselves  what  is  right ; 
Let  us  know  among  ourselves  what  is  true. 

5  Job  hath  said,  "  I  am  righteous, 
And  God  refuseth  me  justice. 

6  Though  I  am  innocent,  I  am  made  a  liar ; 

My  wound  is  incurable,  though  I  am  free  from  transgres- 
sion." 

7  Where  is  the  man  like  Job, 
Who  drinketh  impiety  like  water ; 

8  Who  goeth  in  company  with  evil-doers, 
And  walketh  with  wicked  men  ? 

9  For  he  hath  said,  "  A  man  hath  no  advantage, 
When  he  delighteth  himself  in  God." 

10  Wherefore  hearken  to  me,  ye  men  of  understanding  ! 
Far  be  iniquity  from  God  ; 

Yea,  far  be  injustice  from  the  Almighty  ! 

11  For  what  a  man  hath  done  he  will  requite  him, 
And  render  to  every  one  according  to  his  deeds. 

12  Surely  God  will  not  do  iniquity. 

Nor  will  the  Almighty  pervert  justice. 

13  Who  hath  given  him  the  charge  of  the  earth  ? 
Or  who  hath  created  the  whole  world  ? 

14  Should  he  set  his  heart  against  man, 
Should  he  take  back  his  spirit  and  his  breath, 

15  Then  would  all  flesh  expire  together ; 
Yea,  man  would  return  to  the  dust. 

16  If  thou  hast  understanding,  hear  this ! 
Give  ear  to  the  voice  of  my  words  ! 

17  Shall  he,  that  hateth  justice,  govern  ? 

Wilt  thou  then  condemn  the  just  and  mighty  One? 

18  Is  it  fit  to  say  to  a  king,  Thou  art  wicked  ; 
Or  to  princes.  Ye  are  unrighteous  ? 

19  How  much  less  to  him  that  is  not  partial  to  princes, 
Nor  regardeth  the  rich  more  than  the  poor  ? 

For  they  are  all  the  work  of  his  hands. 


CHAP.   XXXIV.]  JOB.  87 

20  In  a  moment  they  die ;  yea,  at  midnight 
Do  the  people  stagger  and  pass  away, 

And  the  mighty  are  destroyed  without  hand. 

21  For  his  eyes  are  upon  the  ways  of  man ; 
He  seeth  all  his  steps. 

22  There  is  no  darkness,  nor  shadow  of  death, 
Where  evil-doers  may  hide  themselves. 

23  He  needeth  not  attend  long  to  a  man, 
That  he  may  go  into  judgment  before  God ; 

24  He  dasheth  in  pieces  the  mighty  without  inquiry, 
And  setteth  up  others  in  their  stead. 

25  Therefore  he  knoweth  their  works, 

And  in  a  night  he  overthroweth  them,  so  that  they  are 
destroyed. 

26  On  account  of  their  wickedness  he  smiteth  them. 
In  the  presence  of  many  beholders ; 

27  Because  they  turned  away  from  him, 
And  had  no  regard  to  his  ways, 

28  And  caused  the  cry  of  the  poor  to  come  before  him ; 
For  he  heareth  the  cry  of  the  oppressed. 

29  When  he  giveth  rest,  who  can  cause  trouble  ? 
And  when  he  hideth  his  face, 

Who  can  behold  him  ? 

30  So  is  it  with  nations  and  individuals  alike  ! 
That  the  wicked  may  no  more  rule. 

And  may  not  be  snares  to  the  people. 

31  Surely  thou  shouldst  say  unto  God, 

"  I  have  received  chastisement ;  I  will  no  more  offend  ; 

32  What  I  see  not,  teach  thou  me  ! 

If  I  have  done  iniquity,  I  will  do  it  no  more." 

33  Shall  he  recompense  according  to  thy  mind. 

Because  thou  refusest,  or  because  thou  choosest,  and  not 

he? 
Speak,  if  thou  hast  knowledge  ! 

34  Men  of  understanding. 

Wise  men,  who  hear  me,  will  say, 

35  "  Job  hath  spoken  without  knowledge, 
And  his  words  are  without  wisdom." 

36  I  desire  that  Job  may  be  tried  to  the  last. 
For  answering  like  wicked  men. 


88  JOB.  [chap.  XXXVI. 

37  For  he  addeth  impiety  to  his  sin ; 
He  clappeth  his  hands  among  us, 
And  multiplieth  words  against  God. 

1  Moreover  Elihu  proceeded,  and  said : 

2  Dost  thou  then  think  this  to  be  right  ? 

Thou  hast  said,  "  I  am  more  righteous  than  God." 

3  For  thou  askest,  "  What  advantage  have  I  ? 
What  have  I  gained,  more  than  if  I  had  sinned  ?  " 

4  I  will  answer  thee, 

And  thy  companions  with  thee. 

6       Look  up  to  the  heavens,  and  see ! 

And  behold  the  clouds,  which  are  high  above  thee ! 

6  If  thou  sinnest,  what  doest  thou  against  Him  ?  [him  ? 
If  thy  transgressions  be  multiplied,  what  doest  thou  to 

7  If  thou  art  righteous,  what  dost  thou  give  him  ? 
Or  what  receiveth  he  at  thy  hand  ? 

8  Thy  wickedness  injureth  only  a  man  like  thyself, 
And  thy  righteousness  profiteth  only  a  son  of  man. 

9  The  oppressed  cry  out  on  account  of  the  multitude  of 

wrongs  ; 
They  cry  aloud  on  account  of  the  arm  of  the  mighty. 

10  But  none  saith,  "  Where  is  God,  my  Maker, 
Who  giveth  songs  in  the  night ; 

11  Who  teacheth  us  more  than  the  beasts  of  the  earth, 
And  maketh  us  wiser  than  the  birds  of  heaven  ?  " 

12  There  they  cry   aloud  on  account  of   the   pride  of   the 
But  he  giveth  no  answer.  [wicked ; 

13  For  God  will  not  hear  the  vain  supplication, 
Nor  will  the  Almighty  regard  it ; 

'i4i  Much  less  when  thou  sayest  thou  canst  not  see  him : 
Justice  is  with  him,  —  only  wait  thou  for  him ! 

15  But  now,  because  he  hath  not  visited  in  his  anger. 
Nor  taken  strict  note  of  transgression, 

16  Therefore  hath  Job  opened  his  mouth  rashly. 
And  multiplied  words  without  knowledge. 

1       Elihu  also  proceeded,  and  said : 


CHAP.  XXXVI.]  JOB.  89 

2  Bear  with  me  a  little  while,  that  I  may  show  thee ! 
For  I  have  yet  words  in  behalf  of  God. 

3  I  will  bring  my  knowledge  from  afar, 
And  assert  the  justice  of  my  Maker. 

4  Truly  my  words  shall  not  be  false : 

A  man  of  sound  knowledge  is  before  thee. 

5  Behold,  God  is  great,  but  despiseth  not  any ; 
Great  is  he  in  strength  of  understanding. 

6  He  suffereth  not  the  wicked  to  prosper, 
But  rendereth  justice  to  the  oppressed. 

7  He  withdraweth  not  his  eyes  from  the  righteous ; 

But  establisheth  them  for  ever  with  kings  on  the  throne, 
That  they  may  be  exalted. 

8  And  if  they  be  bound  in  fetters, 
And  holden  in  the  cords  of  affliction, 

9  Then  showeth  he  them  their  deeds. 

And  how  they  have  set  him  at  defiance  by  their  transgres- 
sions ; 

10  He  also  openeth  their  ears  to  admonition, 
And  commandeth  them  to  return  from  iniquity. 

11  If  they  obey  and  serve  him, 

They  spend  their  days  in  prosperity, 
And  their  years  in  pleasures. 

12  But  if  they  obey  not,  they  perish  by  the  sword  ; 
They  die  in  their  own  folly. 

13  The  corrupt  in  heart  treasure  up  wrath ; 
They  cry  not  to  God,  when  he  bindeth  them. 

14  They  die  in  their  youth ; 

They  clos.e  their  lives  with  the  unclean. 

15  But  he  delivereth  the  poor  in  their  distress ; 
He  openeth  their  ears  in  affliction. 

16  He  will  bring  thee  also  from  the  jaws  of  distress 
To  a  broad  place,  where  is  no  straitness ; 

And  the  provision  of  thy  table  shall  be  full  of  fatness. 

17  But  if  thou  art  full  of  the  judgment  of  the  wicked. 
Judgment  and  justice  shall  take  hold  of  thee. 

18  For  if  wrath  be  with  him,  beware  lest  he  take  thee  away 

by  his  stroke. 
So  that  a  great  ransom  shall  not  save  thee ! 


90  JOB.  [chap,  xxxvu. 

19  "Will  he  esteem  thy  riches  ? 

No  !  neither  thy  gold,  nor  all  the  abundance  of  thy  wealth. 

20  Long  not  thou  for  that  night 

To  which  nations  are  taken  away  from  their  place. 

21  Take  heed,  turn  not  thine  eyes  to  iniquity ! 
For  this  hast  thou  chosen  rather  than  affliction. 

22  Behold,  God  is  exalted  in  his  power  : 
Who  is  a  teacher  like  him  ? 

23  Who  hath  prescribed  to  him  his  way? 

Or  who  can  say  to  him,  '*•  Thou  hast  done  wrong  "  ? 

24  Forget  not  to  magnify  his  work, 
Which  men  celebrate  with  songs. 

25  All  mankind  gaze  upon  it ; 
Mortals  behold  it  from  afer. 

26  Behold,  God  is  great ;  we  cannot  know  him, 
Nor  search  out  the  number  of  his  years. 

27  Lo !  he  draweth  up  the  drops  of  water, 
Which  distil  rain  from  his  vapor ; 

28  The  clouds  pour  it  down. 

And  drop  it  upon  man  in  abundance. 

29  Who  can  understand  the  s})reading  of  his  clouds, 
And  the  rattling  of  his  pavilion  ? 

30  Behold,  he  spreadeth  around  himself  his  light, 
And  he  clotheth  himself  with  the  depths  of  the  sea. 

31  By  these  he  punisheth  nations, 

And  by  these  he  giveth  food  in  abundance. 

32  His  hands  he  covereth  with  liahtnins: ; 

He  giveth  it  commandment  against  an  enemy. 
83  His  thunder  maketh  him  known ; 

Yea,  to  the  herds,  as  he  ascendeth  on  high. 

1  At  this  my  heart  trembleth. 
And  leapeth  out  of  its  place. 

2  Hear,  ()  hear,  the  thunder  of  his  voice, 

And  the  noise  which  goeth  forth  from  his  mouth! 

3  He  directeth  it  under  the  whole  heaven, 
And  his  liijlitninor  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

4  After  it  the  thunder  roareth ; 

He  thundereth  with  his  voice  of  majesty, 

And  restraineth  it  not,  when  his  voice  is  heard. 


CHAP.  XXXVII  ]  JOB.  91 

5  God  thundereth  with  his  voice  marvellously ; 

Great  things  doeth  he,  which  we  cannot  comprehend. 

6  For  he  saith  to  tlie  snow,  "  Be  thou  on  the  earth  ! " 
To  the  shower  also,  even  the  showers  of  his  might. 

7  He  sealeth  up  the  hand  of  every  man, 

That  all  men  whom  he  hath  made  may  acknowledge  him. 

8  Then  the  beasts  go  into  dens, 
And  abide  in  their  caverns. 

9  Out  of  the  south  cometh  the  whirlwind, 
And  cold  out  of  the  north. 

10  By  the  breath  of  God  ice  is  formed, 
And  the  broad  waters  become  narrow. 

11  Yea,  with  moisture  he  burdeneth  the  clouds ; 
He  spreadeth  abroad  his  lightning-clouds. 

12  They  move  about  by  his  direction, 

To  execute  all  his  commands  throughout  the  world ; 

13  Whether  he  cause  them  to  come  for  punishment. 
Or  for  the  land,  or  for  mercy. 

14  Give  ear  to  this,  O  Job ! 

Stand  still,  and  consider  the  wondrous  works  of  God ! 

15  Dost  thou  know  when  God  gave  commandment  to  them, 
And  caused  the  lightning  of  his  cloud  to  flash  ? 

16  Dost  thou  understand  the  balancing  of  the  clouds, 

The  wondrous  works  of  Him  that  is  perfect  in  knowledge  ? 

17  How  thy  garments  become  warm. 

When  he  maketli  the  earth  still  by  the  south  wind  ? 

18  Canst  thou  like  him  spread  out  the  sky. 
Which  is  firm  like  a  molten  mirror  ? 

19  Teach  us  what  we  shall  say  to  him  ! 

For  we  cannot  set  in  order  our  words  by  reason  of  dark- 
ness. 

20  Shall  it  be  told  him  that  I  would  speak  ? 
Shall  a  man  speak,  that  he  may  be  consumed  ? 

21  For  now  men  do  not  look  upon  the  light. 
When  it  is  bright  in  the  skies, 

When  the  wind  hath  passed  over  them,  and  made  them 
clear. 

22  From  the  north  cometh  gold ; 

But  with  God  is  terrible  majesty !    . 


92  JOB.  [chap,  xxxvra. 

23  The  Almighty,  we  cannot  find  him  out ; 
Great  is  he  in  power  and  justice, 

Abundant  in  righteousness  ;  he  doth  not  oppress. 

24  Therefore  let  men  fear  him  ! 

Upon  none  of  the  wise  in  heart  will  he  look. 


XXII. 

Jehovah's  reproof  of  Job.  — Chap.  XXXVIII.,  XXXIX. 

1  Then  spake  Jehovah  to  Job  out  of  the  whirlwind,  and 

said : 

2  Who  is  this  that  darkeneth  counsel  by  words  without 

knowledge  ? 

3  Gird  up  thy  loins  like  a  man  ! 

I  will  ask  thee,  and  answer  thou  me ! 

4  Where  wast  thou  when  I  laid  the  foundations    of  the 

earth  ? 
Declare,  if  thou  hast  understanding  ! 
6  Who  fixed  its  dimensions,  that  thou  shouldst  know  it ! 
Or  who  stretched  out  the  line  upon  it  ? 

6  Upon  what  were  its  foundations  fixed  ? 
And  who  laid  its  corner-stone, 

7  When  the  morning  stars  sang  together, 
And  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy  ? 

8  And  who  shut  up  the  sea  with  doors, 
When  it  burst  forth  as  from  the  womb  ? 

9  When  I  made  the  clouds  its  mantle. 
And  thick  darkness  its  swaddling-band  ; 

10  When  I  appointed  for  it  my  bound. 
And  fixed  for  it  bars  and  doors ; 

11  And  said,  Thus  far  shalt  thou  come,  and  no  farther, 
And  here  shall  thy  proud  waves  be  stayed ! 

12  Hast  thou,  in  thy  life,  given  charge  to  the  morning, 
Or  caused  the  day-spring  to  know  its  place, 

13  That  it  should  lay  hold  of  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
And  shake  the  wicked  out  of  it  ? 


CHAP.    XXXYIIl]  JOB.  93 

14  It  is  changed  as  clay  by  the  seal ; 

And  all  things  stand  forth  as  in  rich  apparel. 

15  But  from  the  wicked  their  light  is  withheld, 
And  the  high-raised  arm  is  broken. 

16  Hast  thou  visited  the  springs  of  the  sea, 
And  walked  through  the  recesses  of  the  deep  ? 

17  Have  the  gates  of  death  been  disclosed  to  thee, 

And  hast  thou  seen  the  gates  of  the  shadow  of  death  ? 

18  Hast  thou  surveyed  the  breadth  of  the  earth  ? 
Declare,  if  thou  knowest  it  all ! 

19  Where  is  the  way  to  the  abode  of  light? 
And  darkness  —  where  is  its  dwelling-place  ? 

20  That  thou  shouldst  lead  it  to  its  boundary, 

And  that  thou  shouldst  know  the  paths  to  its  mansion ! 

21  Surely  thou  knowest ;  for  thou  wast  then  born  ! 
And  the  number  of  thy  years  is  great ! 

22  Hast  thou  visited  the  storehouses  of  the  snow, 
Or  seen  the  treasuries  of  the  hail, 

23  Which  I  have  reserved  against  the  time  of  trouble, — 
Against  the  day  of  battle  and  war  ? 

24  What  is  the  way  to  where  light  is  distributed. 
And  the  east  wind  spread  abroad  upon  the  earth  ? 

25  Who  hath  prepared  channels  for  the  rain. 
And  a  path  for  the  thunder-flash, 

26  To  give  rain  to  the  land  without  an  inhabitant, 
To  the  wilderness  wherein  is  no  man ; 

27  To  satisfy  the  desolate  and  waste  ground, 
And  cause  the  tender  herb  to  spring  forth  ? 

28  Hath  the  rain  a  father  ? 

Or  who  hath  begotten  the  drops  of  the  dew  ? 

29  Out  of  whose  womb  came  the  ice  ? 

And  who  hath  gendered  the  hoar-frost  of  heaven  ? 

30  The  waters  are  hid  as  under  stone. 
And  the  face  of  the  deep  becometh  solid. 

31  Canst  thou  fasten  the  bands  of  the  Pleiads, 
Or  loosen  the  chains  of  Orion  ? 


94  JOB.  [chap.  XXXIX. 

32  Canst  thou  lead  forth  the  Signs  in  their  season, 
Or  guide  the  Bear  with  her  sons  ? 

33  Knowest  thou  the  ordinances  of  the  heavens  ? 
Hast  thou  appointed  their  dominion  over  the  earth  ? 

34  Canst  thou  hft  up  thy  voice  to  the  clouds, 

So  that  abundance  of  waters  will  cover  thee  ? 

35  Canst  thou  send  forth  lightnings,  so  that  they  will  go, 
.Vnd  say  to  thee,  ''  Here  we  are  "  ? 

,".()   Who  hath  put  understanding  in  the  reins, 
And  given  intelligence  to  the  mind? 

37  Vf  ho  numbereth  the  clouds  in  wisdom  ? 
And  who  poureth  out  the  bottles  of  heaven, 

38  When  the  dust  floweth  into  a  molten  mass. 
And  the  clods  cleave  fast  together  ? 

39  Canst  thou  hunt  prey  for  the  lioness, 
Or  satisfy  the  hunger  of  the  young  lions, 

40  When  they  couch  in  their  dens, 
And  lie  in  wait  in  the  thicket  ? 

41  Who  provideth  for  the  raven  his  food, 
When  his  young  ones  cry  unto  God, 
While  they  wander  about  without  food  ? 

1  Knowest  thou  the  time  when  the  wild  goats  of  the  rock 

bring  forth? 
Or  canst  thou  observe  when  the  hinds  are  m  labor  ? 

2  Canst  thou  number  the  months  they  fulfil, 
And  know  the  season  when  they  bring  forth  ? 

3  They  bow  themselves  ;  they  bring  forth  their  young ; 
Tliey  cast  forth  their  pains. 

4  Their  young  ones  are  strong ;  they  grow  up  m  the  fields ; 
They  go  away,  and  return  not  to  them. 

5  Who  hath  sent  forth  the  wild  ass  free  ? 
Who  hath  loosed  the  bands  of  the  wild  ass, 

6  To  whom  I  have  given  the  wilderness  for  his  house, 
And  the  barren  land  for  his  dwelling-place  ? 

7  He  scorneth  the  tumult  of  the  city, 

And  heedeth  not  the  shouting  of  the  driver ; 

8  The  range  of  the  mountains  is  his  pasture ; 
He  seeketh  after  every  green  thing. 


CHAP.   XXXIX.]  JOB.  95 

9       "Will  the  wild-ox  consent  to  serve  thee  ? 
Will  he  pass  the  night  at  thy  crib  ? 

10  Canst  thou  bind  the  wild-ox  with  the  harness  to  the  frir- 

row  ? 
Or  will  he  harrow  the  valleys  after  thee? 

11  Wilt  thou  rely  upon  him  because  his  strength  is  great, 
And  commit  to  him  thy  labor  ? 

12  Wilt  thou  trust  him  to  bring  home  thy  grain, 
And  gather  in  thy  harvest? 

13  The  wing  of  the  ostrich  moveth  joyfully ; 
But  is  it  with  loving  pinion  and  feathers  ? 

14  Nay,  she  layeth  her  eggs  on  the  ground ; 
She  warmeth  them  in  the  dust, 

15  And  forgetteth  that  the  foot  may  crush  them, 
And  that  the  wild  beast  may  break  them. 

16  She  is  cruel  to  her  young,  as  if  they  were  not  hers ; 
Her  labor  is  in  vain,  yet  she  feareth  not ; 

17  Because  God  hath  denied  her  wisdom, 
And  hath  not  given  her  understanding. 

18  Yet  when  she  lasheth  herself  up  on  high, 
She  laugheth  at  the  horse  and  his  rider. 

19  Hast  thou  given  the  horse  strength  ? 

Hast  thou  clothed  his  neck  with  his  tremblino:  mane? 

20  Hast  thou  taught  him  to  bound  like  the  locust  ? 
How  majestic  his  snorting !  how  terrible ! 

21  He  paweth  in  the  valley ;  he  exulteth  in  his  strength, 
And  rusheth  into  the  midst  of  arms. 

22  He  laugheth  at  fear ;  he  trembleth  not, 
And  turneth  not  back  from  the  sword. 

23  Against  him  rattle  the  quiver. 
The  flaming  spear,  and  the  lance. 

24  With  rage  and  fury  he  devoureth  the  ground ; 
He  will  not  believe  that  the  trumpet  soundeth. 

25  At  every  blast  of  the  trumpet,  he  saith.  Aha ! 
And  snufFeth  the  battle  afar  off,  — 

The  thunder  of  the  captains,  and  the  war-shout. 

26  Is  it  by  thy  wisdom  that  the  hawk  flieth. 
And  spreadeth  his  wings  toward  the  south  ? 


96  JOB.  [chap.  tOj. 

27  Doth  the  eagle  soar  at  thy  command, 
And  build  his  nest  on  high  ? 

28  He  dwelleth  and  lodgeth  upon  the  rock, 
Upon  the  peak  of  the  rock,  and  the  stronghold. 

29  From  thence  he  spieth  out  prey; 
His  eyes  discern  it  from  afar. 

30  His  young  ones  suck  up  blood ; 
And  where  the  slain  are,  there  is  he. 


XXIII. 

Jehovah's  question  and  Job's  reply.  —  Chap.  XL.  1-5. 

1  Moreover  Jehovah  spake  to  Job,  and  said : 

2  Will  the  censurer  of  the  Almighty  contend  with  him  ? 
Will  the  reprover  of  God  answer  ? 

3  Then  Job  answered  Jehovah,  and  said : 

4  Behold,  I  am  vile !  what  can  I  answer  thee  ? 
I  will  lay  my  hand  upon  my  mouth. 

5  Once  have  I  spoken,  but  I  will  not  speak  again ; 
Yea,  twice,  but  I  will  say  no  more. 

•       XXIV. 

Jehovah's  continued  reproof  of  Job.  —  Chap.  XL.  6  -  XLL 

6  Then  spake  Jehovah  to  Job  out  of  the  whirlwind,  and 

said: 

7  Gird  up  now  thy  loins  like  a  man ! 

I  will  ask  thee,  and  do  thou  instruct  me ! 

8  Wilt  thou  even  disannul  my  right? 

Wilt  thou  condemn  me,  that  thou  mayst  be  righteous  ? 

9  Hast  thou  an  arm  like  God's  ? 

Or  canst  thou  thunder  with  thy  voice  like  him? 
10  Deck  thyself  with  grandeur  and  majesty. 
And  array  thyself  in  splendor  and  glory ! 


CHAP.    XLI.]  JOB.  97 

11  Send  forth  the  furj  of  thy  wrath! 

Look  upon  every  proud  one,  and  abase  him ! 

12  Look  upon  every  proud  one,  and  bring  him  low ; 
Yea,  tread  down  the  wicked  in  their  place ! 

13  Hide  them  in  the  dust  together ; 
Shut  up  their  faces  in  darkness ! 

14  Then,  indeed,  will  I  give  thee  the  praise,   ■ 
That  thine  own  right  hand  can  save  thee. 

15  Behold  the  river-horse,  which  I  have  made  as  well  as 
He  feedeth  on  grass  like  the  ox.  [thyself; 

16  Behold,  what  strength  is  in  his  loins  ! 

And  what  force  in  the  muscles  of  his  belly ! 

17  He  bendeth  his  tail,  like  the  cedar, 

And  the  sinews  of  his  thighs  are  twisted  together. 

18  His  bones  are  pipes  of  brass. 
And  his  limbs  are  bars  of  iron. 

19  He  is  chief  among  the  works  of  God ; 
He  that  made  him  gave  him  his  sword. 

20  For  the  mountains  supply  him  with  food, 
Where  all  the  beasts  of  the  field  play. 

21  He  lieth  down  under  the  lote-plants. 
In  the  covert  of  reeds,  and  in  the  fens. 

22  The  lote-plants  cover  him  with  their  shadow, 
And  the  willows  of  the  bi;ook  compass  him  about. 

23  Lo !  the  stream  overfloweth,  but  he  starteth  not ; 

He  is  unmoved  though  Jordan  rush  forth  even  to  his 
mouth. 

24  Can  one  take  him  before  his  eyes. 
Or  pierce  his  nose  with  hooks  ? 

1  Canst  thou  draw  forth  the  crocodile  with  a  hook, 
Or  press  down  his  tongue  with  a  cord  ? 

2  Canst  thou  put  a  rope  into  his  nose, 
Or  pierce  his  cheek  with  a  hook  ? 

3  Will  he  make  many  entreaties  to  thee  ? 
Will  he  speak  soft  words  to  thee  ? 

4  Will  he  make  a  covenant  with  thee  ? 
Canst  thou  take  him  for  a  servant  for  ever  ? 

6  Canst  thou  play  with  him,  as  with  a  bird  ? 
Or  canst  thou  bind  him  for  thy  maidens  ? 

5 


98  JOB.  [chap.  xu. 

6  Do  men  in  company  lay  snares  for  him  ? 
Do  they  divide  him  among  the  merchants  ? 

7  Canst  thou  fill  his  skin  with  barbed  irons, 
Or  his  head  with  fish-spears  ? 

8  Do  but  lay  thy  hand  upon  him,  — 
Thou  wilt  no  more  think  of  battle  ! 


9       Behold,  his  hope  is  vain  ! 

Is  he  not  cast  down  at  the  very  sight  of  him  ?   • 

10  None  is  so  fierce  that  he  dare  stir  him  up ; 
Who  then  is  he  that  can  stand  before  me  ? 

11  Who  hath  done  me  a  favor,  that  I  must  repay  him  ? 
Whatever  is  under  the  whole  heaven  is  mine. 


.12       I  will  not  be  silent  concerning  his  limbs, 
And  his  strength,  and  the  beauty  of  his  armor. 

13  Who  can  uncover  the  surface  of  his  garment  ? 
Who  will  approach  his  jaws  ? 

14  Who  will  open  the  doors  of  his  face  ? 
The  rows  of  his  teeth  are  terrible ! 

15  His  glory  is  his  strong  shields. 

United  with  each  other,  as  with  a  close  seal. 

16  They  are  joined  one  to  another, 

So  that  no  air  can  come  between  them. 

17  They  cleave  fast  to  each  other. 

They  hold  together,  and  cannot  be  separated. 

18  His  sneezing  sendeth  forth  light. 

And  his  eyes  are  like  the  eyelashes  of  the  morning. 

19  Out  of  his  mouth  go  flames. 
And  sparks  of  fire  leap  forth. 

20  From  his  nostrils  issueth  smoke,  as  from  a  heated  pot,  or 

caldron. 

21  His  breath  kindleth  coals, 

And  flames  issue  from  his  mouth. 

22  In  his  neck  dwelleth  strength. 
And  terror  danceth  before  him. 

23  The  flakes  of  his  flesh  cleave  fast  together ; 
They  are  firm  upon  him,  and  cannot  be  moved. 

24  His  heart  is  solid  like  a  stone ; 
Yea,  solid  like  the  nether  millstone. 


CHAP.   XLII.]  JOB.  99 

25  When  he  riseth  up,  the  mighty  are  afraid ; 
Yea,  they  lose  themselves  for  terror. 

26  The  sword  of  him  that  assaileth  him  doth  not  stand, 
The  spear,  the  dart,  nor  the  habergeon. 

27  He  regardeth  iron  as  straw, 
And  brass  as  rotten  wood. 

28  The  arrow  cannot  make  him  flee  ; 
Sling-stones  to  him  become  stubble  ; 

29  Clubs  are  accounted  by  him  as  straw ; 
He  laugheth  at  the  shaking  of  the  spear. 

30  Under  him  are  sharp  potsherds  ; 

He  spreadeth  out  a  thrashing-sledge  upon  the  mire. 

31  He  maketh  the  deep  to  boil  like  a  caldron; 
He  maketh  the  sea  like  a  pot  of  ointment. 

32  Behind  him  he  leaveth  a  shining  path ; 
One  would  think  the  deep  to  be  hoary, 

33  Upon  the  earth  there  is  not  his  master ; 
He  is  made  without  fear. 

34  He  looketh  down  upon  all  that  is  high ; 
He  is  king  over  all  the  sons  of  pride. 


XXV. 

Job's  entire  submission  to  Jehovah.  —  Chap.  XLII.  1-6. 

1  Then  Job  answered  Jehovah,  and  said : 

2  I  know  that  thou  canst  do  every  thing. 
And  that  no  purpose  of  thine  can  be  hindered. 

3  Who   is   he   that   darkeneth   counsel   by  words   without 

knowledge  ? 
Thus  have  I  uttered  what  I  understood  not ; 
Things  too  wonderful  for  me,  which  I  knew  not : 

4  Hear  thou,  then,  I  beseech  thee,  and  I  will  speak ! 
I  will  ask  thee,  and  do  thou  instruct  me  ! 

5  I  have  heard  of  thee  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear ; 
But  now  hath  mine  eye  seen  thee. 

6  Wherefore  I  abhor  myself. 
And  repent  in  dust  and  ashes. 


100  JOB.  [chap.  xlh. 


XXVI. 

Jehovah's  vindication  of  Job,  and  the  happv  issue  of  his  trials. 
Chap.  XLII.  7-17. 

7  And  when  Jehovah  had  spoken  these  words  unto  Job, 
he  said  to  Eliphaz  the  Temauite  :  "  My  wrath  is  kindled 
against  thee,  and  against  thy  two  friends ;  for  ye  have  not 
spoken  concerning  me  that  which  is  right,  as  hath  my  ser- 

8  vant  Job.  Take  ye,  therefore,  seven  bullocks  and  seven 
rams,  and  go  to  my  servant  Job,  and  offer  for  yourselves 
a  burnt-offering,  and  my  servant  Job  shall  pray  for  you  ; 
for  to  him  alone  will  I  have  regard ;  that  I  deal  not  with 
you  according  to  your  folly.  For  ye  have  not  spoken 
concerning  me  that  which  is  right,  as  hath  my  servant 
Job." 

9  So  Eliphaz  the  Temanite,  and  Bildad  the  Shuhite,  and 
Zophar  the  Naamathite,  went  and  did  as  Jehovah  com- 

10  manded  them ;  and  Jehovah  had  regard  to  Job.  And  Je- 
hovah turned  the  captivity  of  Job,  when  he  prayed  for  his 
friends,  and  Jehovah  gave  him  twice  as  much  as  he  had 

11  before.  Then  came  to  him  all  his  brethren,  and  all  his 
sisters,  and  all  his  former  acquaintances,  and  ate  bread 
with  him  in  his  house ;  and  condoled  with  him,  and  com- 
forted him  over  all  the  evil  which  Jehovah  had  brought 
upon  him  ;  and  every  one  gave  him  a  piece  of  money  [a 
kesita],  and  every  one  a  ring  of  gold. 

12  Thus  Jehovah  blessed  the  latter  end  of  Job  more  than 
the  beginning ;  for  he  had  fourteen  thousand  sheep,  six 
thousand  camels,  a  thousand  yoke  of  oxen,  and  a  thousand 

13  she-asses.     He  had  also  seven  sons,  and  three  daughters. 

14  And  he  called  the  name  of  the  first  Jemima,  of  the  second 

15  Kezia,  and  of  the  third  Kerenhappuch.  And  in  all  the 
land  were  no  women  found  so  fair  as  the  daughters  of 
Job ;  and  their  father  gave  them  an   inheritance   among 

16  their  brethren.  And  Job  lived  after  this  a  hundred  and 
forty  years,  and  saw  his  sons,  and  his  sons'  sons,  even  four 

17  generations.  Then  Job  died,  being  old  and  satisfied  with 
days. 


ECCLESIASTES. 


INTRODUCTION   TO   ECCLESIASTES. 


Few  books  of  the  Old  Testament  have  given  rise  to  greater 
diversities  of  opinion  than  that  which  is  called  Ecclesiastes,  or  the 
Preacher.  In  regard  to  its  form  and  its  spirit,  its  subject  and 
its  meaning,  its  scope  and  design,  its  age  and  author,  widely  dif- 
ferent opinions  have  been  entertained,  and  defended  with  confi- 
dence and  ingenuity.  By  different  critics  the  author  has  been 
regarded  as  an  Epicurean,  a  Sadducee,  a  sceptic,  a  fatalist.  By 
others  his  chief  aim  is  supposed  to  be  to  prove  and  maintain  the 
doctrines  of  the  immortality  of  the  human  soul,  and  a  future  state 
of  retribution.  Some  of  the  ancient  Jews,  according  to  St.  Je- 
rome, entertained  objections  against  this  book,  saying,  that,  "  as 
some  books,  which  Solomon  wrote,  had  been  lost,  this  too  ought 
to  be  obliterated;  because  it  asserted  that  the  creatures  of  God 
are  vain,  and  regarded  all  things  as  worthless,  and  preferred  meat 
and  drink  and  delicacies  to  every  thing  else ;  yet  they  said  that 
the  twelfth  chapter  alone,  which  summed  up  all  he  had  written 
in  the  precept  to  fear  God  and  keep  his  commandments,  gave  it  a 
sufficient  claim  to  be  placed  among  the  sacred  books."*  So  in 
the  Talmud  we  read,  ' '  Some  of  the  wise  men  desired  to  hide, 
tia^b,  that  is,  to  forbid  the  public  reading  of,  the  book  Coheleth, 
because  there  were  found  in  it  words  tending  to  heresy."  f  Others, 
because  his  language  was  contradictory. 

*  See  Comment,  on  Eccles.  xii.  13,  Jerome's  Works,  vol.  ii.  p.  787,  edit. 
Martianay. 

t  See  Pesikta  Rabbati,  fol.  33,  c.  1;  Midrash,  Cohel.,  fol.  311,  c.  1;  Va- 
jikra  Rab.,  ^  28,  fol.  161,  c.  2;  Tr.  Schabb.,  fol.  30,  c.  2. 

[1031 


104  INTRODUCTION    TO 

A  consideration  of  the  objections  which  have  been  made  to  the 
book  in  ancient  and  modern  times,  and  of  the  apparent  contradic- 
tions which  perplex  the  reader,  seems  to  be  demanded  as  a  part  of 
the  introduction  to  this  book. 

In  regard  to  the  class  of  composition  to  which  the  book  belongs, 
it  seems  to  come  nearest  to  what,  in  modern  times,  would  be  called 
an  ethical  or  moral  essay.  I  do  not,  with  some  writers,  regard  it 
as  a  poem,  though  parts  of  it  run  into  the  region  of  poetry,  and 
have  a  degree  of  rhythm  in  the  construction.  It  is,  however, 
written  with  the  freedom  of  poetry,  without  regard  to  logical  con- 
nection of  thought,  and  without  any  strict  and  regular  plan  kept 
in  view  throughout.  Not  that  the  work  is  wholly  destitute  of 
method.  There  is,  at  any  rate,  a  unity  of  subject  pervading  it 
from  beginning  to  end ;  interrupted,  it  is  true,  but  not  destroyed, 
by  digressions  and  the  introduction  of  moral  maxims.  The  au- 
thor evidently  throws  out  freely  the  thoughts  which  occur  to  him 
on  a  general  subject,  rather  than  undertakes  to  prove  any  particu- 
lar point,  or  to  accomplish  any  precise  plan,  to  which  all  the  parts 
should  have  a  definite  and  intimate  relation. 

If  I  were  to  express  the  subject  of  the  work  in  a  single  sentence, 
which  might  serve  as  a  titlepage  to  it,  I  should  call  it  "  Thoughts 

ON  THE  VANITY  OF  HUMAN  LIFE,  INTERSPERSED  WITH  SUCH  MAX- 
IMS OF  PRUDENCE,  VIRTUE,  AND  RELIGION  AS  WLLL  HELP  A  MAN 
TO  CONDUCT  HIMSELF  IN  THE  BEST  MANNER,  AND  TO  OBTAIN  THE 
GREATEST  AMOUNT  OF   HAPPINESS,  IN    HIS  JOURNEY  THROUGH  IT." 

The  main  doctrine,  or  speculative  view,  of  the  author  is  the  vanity 
of  human  things,  that  is,  of  human  striving,  and  of  human  fortunes 
and  experiences  ;  and  his  most  prominent  practical  precept  is,  that 
men  should  enjoy  the  present  blessings  of  life  as  they  come,  with- 
out anxiety  and  over-strenuous  exertions  relating  to  distant  and 
future  good.  But  there  are  many  observations,  and  many  practi- 
cal precepts  of  prudence,  virtue,  and  religion,  scattered  through 
the  work,  as  having  an  independent  value,  and  not  having  a  par- 
ticular and  obvious  relation  to  any  general  plan  or  design  of  the 
author. 

In  regard  to  the  objectionable  sentiments  and  inconsistencies 
which  have  been  charged  upon  the  Preacher,  it  appears  to  me  that 
much  may  be  said  in  the  way  of  explanation.     One  important  con- 


ECCLESIASTES.  105 

sidcration  is  the  general  character  of  the  composition,  which  does 
not  aim  at  metaphysical  accuracy  of  expression,  or  precise  state- 
ments of  doctrine  or  principles.  The  writer  throws  out  thoughts 
and  views,  which  occur  to  him  as  the  results  of  his  various  experi- 
ence, without  making  at  the  time  the  limitations  and  qualifications 
which  a  more  careful  and  logical  writer  would  have  placed  in  im- 
mediate connection  with  the  former.  We  are  not,  therefore,  to 
take  all  the  thoughts  which  he  expresses,  while  contemplating 
things  in  certain  points  of  view,  as  his  final  and  settled  convictions. 
We  are  to  consider  whether,  in  the  course  of  his  essay,  he  has  not 
limited,  or  modified,  former  statements,  if  not  formally  and  ex- 
pressly, yet  by  solemn  additional  declarations,  which  in  fact  qualify 
the  former ;  whether,  in  the  one  case,  he  has  not  told  us  what  he 
thought  when  considering  things  under  certain  aspects,  and,  in  the 
other,  what  he  believed  on  the  whole,  and  taking  all  circumstances 
into  the  account ;  whether,  in  the  one  case,  he  has  not  been  stating 
facts  which  perplexed  his  mind,  and,  in  the  other,  expressed  his 
habitual  faith  in  the  religion  of  the  Old  Testament,  to  which  he 
clung  notwithstanding  these  facts.  It  is  very  doubtful,  however, 
whether  he  intends  to  contradict,  or  has  in  fact  contradicted,  any 
one  proposition  which  he  has  laid  down,  in  the  same  sense  and  de- 
gree in  which  he  asserted  it. 

It  is  probable  that  nothing  advanced  by  the  Preacher  has  given 
greater  occasion  for  the  charge  of  inconsistency  or  contradiction, 
than  the  sentiments  which  he  expresses  in  relation  to  a  retribution 
for  sin.  The  difficulty  occasioned  by  his  statements  in  relation  to 
this  subject  is  the  greater,  if,  as  seems  to  be  most  probable,  he 
had  not  attained  to  faith  in  a  life  after  death,  or  a  future  state  of 
retribution.  The  doctrine  of  a  retribution  after  death  affords  the 
easy  solution  of  the  difficulty,  which  satisfies  many  readers.  But, 
if  the  writer  did  not  believe  in  the  doctrine,  we  need  a  liifferent 
explanation  of  the  facts.  Some  of  the  passages  relating  to  this 
subject  are  the  following :  In  chap.  viii.  14,  15,  the  Preacher 
says,  "  There  is  a  vanity  which  taketh  place  upon  the  earth,  that 
there  are  righteous  men  to  whom  it  happeneth  according  to  the 
work  of  the  wicked,  and  that  there  are  wicked  men  to  whom  it 
happeneth  according  to  the  work  of  the  righteous.  I  said,  This 
also  is  vanity.     Then  I  commended  joy  ;  because  nothing  is  good 

5* 


106  INTRODUCTION    TO 

for  a  man,  except  to  eat,  and  to  drink,  and  to  be  joyful ;  for  it  is 
this  that  abideth  with  him  for  his  labor  during  the  days  of  his  life 
which  God  giveth  him  under  the  sun."  So,  chap.  ix.  2-5,  "All 
things  [come  to  them]  as  to  all.  There  is  one  event  to  the  right- 
eous and  to  the  wicked ;  to  the  good,  to  the  clean,  and  to  the  un- 
clean ;  to  him  that  sacrificeth,  and  to  him  that  sacrihceth  not ;  as 
is  the  good,  so  is  the  sinner ;  he  that  sweareth  [falsely] ,  as  he 
that  fears  an  oath.  This  is  an  evil  among  all  things  which  take 
place  under  the  sun,  that  there  is  one  event  to  all ;  therefore  also 
the  heait  of  the  sons  of  men  is  full  of  evil,  and  madness  is  in  their 
heart  while  they  live,  and  afterward  they  go  down  to  the  dead. 
For  who  is  there  that  is  excepted  ?  With  all  the  living  there  is 
hope  ;  for  a  living  dog  is  better  than  a  dead  lion.  For  the  living 
know  that  they  must  die ;  but  the  dead  know  not  any  thing,  and 
there  is  no  more  to  them  any  advantage  ;  for  their  memory  is  for- 
gotten. .  .  .  Go  thy  way,  eat  thy  bread  with  joy,  and  di-ink  thy 
wine  with  a  cheerful  heart."  Other  passages  of  similar  import 
might  be  quoted ;  but  these  are  sufficient. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  read,  in  chap.  iii.  17,  "  Then  I  said  in  my 
heart,  God  will  judge  the  righteous  and  the  wicked.  For  there 
shall  be  a  time  for  every  employment  and  for  every  work  [to  be 
judged]."  And  in  chap.  viii.  12,  13,  "But  though  a  sinner  do 
evil  a  hundred  times,  and  have  his  days  prolonged,  yet  surely  I 
know  that  it  shall  be  well  with  them  that  fear  God,  that  fear  be- 
fore him.  But  it  shall  not  be  well  with  the  wicked ;  he  shall  be 
like  a  shadow,  and  shall  not  prolong  his  days  ;  because  he  feareth 
not  before  God."  And  in  chap.  xi.  9,  "  Know  that  for  these  things 
God  will  bring  thee  into  judgment."  And  in  chap.  xii.  14,  "For 
God  will  bring  every  work  into  judgment,  with  every  secret  thing, 
whether  it  be  good,  or  whether  it  be  evil."  (See  also  chap.  v. 
3-7  ;  vii.  17,  18 ;  viii.  8.) 

Now,  the  first  remark,  which  may  be  made  upon  these  seeming 
inconsistencies  respecting  the  doctrine  of  retribution  for  sin  is, 
that  they  are  not  peculiar  to  the  Book  of  Ecclesiastes.  We  find 
similar  representations  in  the  Psalms,  in  the  Book  of  Job,  and  in 
Habakkuk.  (See  Ps.  Ixxiii.*  Hab.  i.  12-17.)  The  Book  of  Job 
contains  strong  representations  of  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked, 
and  the  misery  of  the  righteous  ;  which  representations  the  writei 


ECCLESIASTES.  107 

reconciles  with  faith  in  a  righteous  retribution  for  sin,  and  that, 
too,  in  the  present  world.  That  these  representations  are  gener- 
ally put  into  the  mouths  of  different  speakers  is  a  mere  matter  of 
form,  adopted  by  the  author  in  order  to  present  different  views 
of  the  subject.  But  this  is  not  always  the  case.  Job  himself  is 
made  to  utter  sentiments  apparently  so  diverse  in  chap.  xxiv.  and 
xxvii.,  that  some  critics  have  made  arbitrary  alterations  in  the 
text  to  meet  the  supposed  difficulty.  It  is  probable,  therefore, 
that  the  alleged  inconsistency  in  the  case  of  the  Preacher  is  to  be 
explained  in  the  same  way  as  the  passages  referred  to  in  the 
Psalms,  Job,  and  Habakkuk. 

2.  It  is  to  be  remarked,  that  the  facts  asserted  by  the  Preacher 
are,  to  a  considerable  extent  at  least,  what  we  all  know  to  be 
true.  Physical  events  do  take  place  according  to  physical  laws. 
The  sun  rises  on  the  evil  and  the  good,  and  the  rain  descends  on 
the  just  and  the  unjust.  When  a  tempest  rages,  it  does  not  spare 
the  fields  and  dwellings  of  the  righteous.  When  the  pestilence 
lays  waste,  it  does  not  pass  by  the  innocent  and  devout.  If  there 
be  any  exaggeration  in  the  Preacher''s  statements,  if  he  places  the 
difficulties  which  occur  to  his  mind  respecting  the  moral  govern- 
ment of  God  in  a  very  strong  light,  this  is  to  be  referred  to  the 
bold,  unqualified  way  in  which  he  expresses  all  his  thoughts,  and 
to  his  desire  to  give  a  striking  illustration  of  the  vanity  of  human 
things.  He  does  not  make  his  statements  as  deciding  the  question 
against  a  retribution  for  sin,  but  only  as  presenting  difficulties. 
He  is  expressing  thoughts  which  occurred  to  his  mind  at  the  time, 
not  giving  his  view  on  the  whole.  He  is  complaining  that  the 
wicked  escape  for  a  long  time,  though  he  may  yet  have  believed, 
as  he  has  expressly  asserted,  that  judgment  would  at  some  time 
overtake  them.  Notwithstanding  the  extent  to  which  all  things 
happen  alike  to  all,  he  may  have  believed  in  the  doctrine  of  a  right- 
eous retribution,  as  established  by  the  general  consequences  of 
human  actions,  as  required  by  the  justice  of  God,  and  as  certainly 
contained  in  the  religious  books  of  his  nation. 

For  it  will  be  conceded  by  all,  that  the  doctrine  of  a  righteous 
retribution  in  the  present  life  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Old  Testament. 
It  is  found  throughout  the  Pentateuch  and  the  Book  of  Proverbs. 
It  was  firmly  held  by  the  Psalmists,  by  Habakkuk,  and  the  author 


108  INTRODUCTION    TO 

of  Job,  notwithstanding  the  difficulties  presented  by  the  prosperity 
of  the  wicked,  and  the  sufferings  of  the  righteous.  Their  faith  in 
retribution  was  not  shaken  by  their  observation,  that  '*  the  un- 
godly prospered  in  the  world,  and  increased  in  riches,"  while  the 
righteous  ' '  have  been  smitten  every  day,  and  chastened  every 
morning."  They  had  faith,  that,  though  "judgment  against  an 
evil  work  was  not  executed  speedily,"  the  wicked  "stood  in  slip- 
pery places  ; "  and  that  in  some  way,  and  at  some  time,  the  ways  of 
transgressors  would  be  found  to  be  hard,  and  that,  too,  in  this 
world.  Why,  then,  should  we  seek  a  solution  of  the  difficulty  in 
Ecclesiastes  different  from  that  which  is  applicable  to  other  writers 
of  the  Old  Testament  ?  What  more  is  necessary  than  to  suppose, 
that,  in  the  one  class  of  passages,  the  Preacher  states  his  faith,  and 
the  faith  of  his  nation,  in  the  doctrine  of  temporal  retribution ; 
whilst,  in  the  other  class,  he  only  states  facts  in  regard  to  the  tem- 
porary distribution  of  good  and  evil  in  the  world,  especially  in  re- 
gard to  the  occurrence  of  the  same  physical  events  to  all  without 
distinction  of  character,  which,  though  they  perplex  his  mind  and 
occasion  embarrassment,  and  impress  it  with  the  vanity  of  human 
things,  yet  do  not  shake  his  faith.  In  the  one  case,  he  declares 
what  is  true  on  the  whole,  in  the  long-run,  and  all  things  consid- 
ered, and  what  maybe  expected  from  the  eternal  justice  of  the 
Almighty.  In  the  other,  he  is  stating  what  fell  under  his  own 
observation  and  experience  in  a  given  time,  and  which  occasioned 
him  so  much  embarrassment,  that  he  exclaims,  "  Then  I  saw  the 
whole  work  of  God,  that  a  man  cannot  comprehend  that  which  is 
done  under  the  sun ;  how  much  soever  he  may  labor  to  search  it 
out,  yet  shall  he  not  comprehend  it ;  yea,  though  a  wise  man  re- 
solve to  know  it,  yet  shall  he  not  be  able  to  comprehend  it." 

We  Christians  believe  in  the  moral  government  of  God,  and  in 
a  retribution  for  sin  to  a  certain  extent  in  the  present  world, 
though  we  are  sometimes  inclined  to  wonder  that  a  surer  and  a 
swifter  punishment  does  not  overtake  evil-doers.  We  cannot  deny 
the  facts  which  the  Preacher  has  stated,  and  which,  at  first  view, 
seem  inconsistent  with  his  doctrines,  however  we  might  qualify  the 
statement  of  them.  AVe  think  we  bring  those  facts  into  more  per- 
fect harmony  with  our  faith  in  the  moral  government  of  God  by 
extending  the  retributions  of  sin  into  the  future  world.     The  mind 


ECCLESIASTES.  109 

of  the  Preacher  may  have  been  more  embarrassed  than  that  of  the 
Christian.  It  would  be  strange  if  it  were  not.  He  may  not  have 
been  so  able  to  account  for  the  phenomena  of  human  life,  as  the 
Christian,  to  whom  life  and  immortality  have  been  brought  to  light. 
But  his  faith  was  not  shaken,  though  his  understanding  was  per- 
plexed. He  admits,  like  an  honest  man,  all  the  difficulties  of  the 
subject,  and  believes  still,  that  though  for  a  time  the  sinner  goes 
unpunished,  yet  that  at  some  time,  and  in  some  way,  he  is  brought 
into  judgment  by  the  Supreme  Ruler. 

It  is  true  that  the  Preacher  does  not  limit  and  qualify  all  his 
statements,  like  one  who  weighs  all  his  words  with  the  accuracy  of 
Bishop  Butler.  It  is  rather  his  manner  to  give  bold,  unqualified, 
and,  as  it  were,  paradoxical  statements  of  the  results  of  his  experi- 
ence and  observation,  as  well  as  of  the  course  of  conduct  which  he 
thinks  it  advisable  to  pursue.  But  if  we  make  due  allowance  for 
the  style  of  the  writer  in  this  respect,  and  for  his  use  of  figurative 
and  hyperbolical  language,  we  are  not  compelled  to  believe,  not- 
withstanding his  strong  statements  respecting  the  equal  condition 
of  the  righteous  and  the  wicked,  that  doubt  on  the  subject  of 
retribution  was  the  prevailing  habit  of  his  mind. 

It  may  appear  singulai  to  some  readers  that  I  have  spent  so 
much  time  on  this  topic,  when  the  supposition,  that  the  writer  be- 
lieved in  a  state  of  retribution  after  death,  would  afford  so  obvi- 
ous a  solution  of  the  difficulty  in  question.  But,  in  several  notes 
on  various  passages  in  the  book,  I  have  given  reasons  which  make 
it  appear  to  my  mind  most  probable  that  the  Preacher  had  not 
faith  in  a  desirable  future  life,  much  less  in  a  future  state  of  retribu- 
tion. It  appears  to  me,  that  he  has  himself  intimated  that  this  was 
not  the  way  in  which  he  viewed  the  subject.  Thus,  in  chap.  viii. 
13,  he  says,  "  But  it  shall  not  be  well  with  the  wicked,  neither  shall 
he  prolong  his  days,  which  are  as  a  shadow ;  because  he  feareth 
not  before  God."  I  think,  too,  that  if  he  had  had  faith  in  the  doc- 
trine of  a  retribution  after  death,  it  would  have  pervaded  the  whole 
book,  and  given  an  entirely  different  complexion  to  it.  The  prac- 
tical inferences,  or  recommendations,  especially,  which  the  Preacher 
makes  in  view  of  the  vanity,  perplexities,  and  shortness  of  life, 
would,  it  seems  to  me,  have  been  entirely  different,  if  he  had  en- 
tertained the  Christian  faith  in  immortality  and  retribution.     (See 


110  INTRODUCTION    TO 

chap.  ii.  24 ;  iii.  12,  13,  22 ;  v.  18-20 ;  vii.  14 ;  viii.  15 ;  ix.  7-10, 
&c.)  I  have  already  mentioned  the  probability,  that  no  other 
solution  of  the  difficulties  in  Ecclesiastes  is  to  be  sought,  than  that 
which  applies  to  the  Book  of  Job,  to  Habakkuk,  and  to  the 
Psalms. 

With  regard  to  the  Preacher's  alleged  tendency  to  fatalism,  it 
may  be  admitted  that  the  sentiments  of  chapters  first  and  second, 
and  of  such  passages  as  chap.  iii.  14,  vi.  10,  vii.  13,  if  taken  by 
themselves,  and  pursued  to  their  consequences,  without  regard  to 
other  statements  and  sentiments  contained  in  the  book,  may  seem 
to  give  some  plausibility  to  the  charge.  But  what  author  is  not 
liable  to  the  same  charge,  if  treated  in  the  same  way?  Calvin, 
Dr.  Priestley,  Dr.  Emmons,  might  receive  the  same  appellation. 
Would  not  even  the  doctrine  of  our  Saviour  and  of  the  Apostle 
Paul,  respecting  the  dependence  of  all  things  upon  God  and  the 
unlimited  extent  of  the  Divine  providence,  be  liable  to  the  same 
charge  ?  The  Preacher  has  amply  qualified  his  statements  respect- 
ing the  impotency  of  human  exertion,  and  the  inevitable  course  of 
events,  and  the  dependence  of  all  things  upon  God,  by  the  doc- 
trine of  a  righteous  retribution,  and  by  various  passages,  which 
imply  faith  in  human  freedom  and  accountableness.  In  respect 
to  this  point,  as  to  others,  we  must  keep  in  mind  the  characteristic 
of  the  writer  to  give  a  strong,  I  might  almost  say  paradoxical, 
view  of  the  condition  of  human  things,  which  is  immediately  before 
his  mind.  The  necessary  limitations  and  qualifications  are  not 
given  at  the  time.  At  any  rate,  if  some  expressions  indicate  a 
tendency  to  fatalism,  it  is  certain  that  the  Preacher  was  not 
a  fatalist. 

It  may,  however,  be  admitted,  that  the  author  gives  a  stronger 
view  than  any  other  Biblical  writer  of  the  circumscribed  limits  of 
human  efibrts,  and  their  subjection  to  a  higher,  established,  inevi- 
table course  of  things,  or  ordination  of  Divine  providence,  which 
man  can  neither  resist  nor  control.  (See  chap.  iii.  1-15,  especially 
14,  15;  vi.  10;  vii.  18;  ix.  1,  11.)  The  great  theme  of  the  book, 
the  vanity  of  human  things,  is  made  to  consist  chiefly  of  the  vanity 
of  human  effort  or  striving,  as  being  either  wholly  fruitless,  or 
fruitless  in  relation  to  its  express  object.  But,  if  we  interpret  the 
language  of  the  author  by  other  parts  of  the  book,  we  must  come 


ECCLESIASTES.  Ill 

to  the  conclusion,  that  he  by  no  means  designs  to  encourage  inac- 
tivity or  neglect  of  our  powers,  but  only  an  anxious,  ambitious, 
and  over-strenuous  pursuit  of  future  and  distant  good.  If,  in  one 
passage,  he  asks,  "What  profit  hath  a  man  of  all  his  labor?"  he 
says,  in  another,  "  Whatever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy 
might."  However  strong  is  the  writer's  representation  of  the  in- 
fluence of  a  higher  power  over  his  concerns  and  actions,  he  has 
enforced  doctrines  and  duties  which  imply  faith  in  human  freedom 
and  accountableness.  Nor  has  any  one  a  right  to  charge  him  with 
inconsistency,  unless  he  is  able  to  prove  that  the  doctrines  of  the 
Divine  foreknowledge,  providence,  and  government  are  inconsist- 
ent with  human  freedom  and  accountableness. 

As  to  the  opinion,  that  the  author  of  Ecclesiastes  was  a  Sad- 
ducee  or  sceptic,  in  the  sense  of  settled  unbeliever,  it  appears 
to  me  to  be  unfounded.  He  had  doubts,  indeed ;  but  he  did  not 
abandon  himself  to  them.  He  goes  on  with  his  speculations,  till 
he  clears  some  of  them  up.  It  is  true  that  he  has  not  faith  in  a 
future  life  of  retribution.  But  this  doctrine,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered, formed  no  part  of  the  Jewish  religion.  In  this  respect,  the 
Preacher  does  not  differ  essentially  from  the  author  of  the  Book 
of  Job,  and  other  writers  of  the  Old  Testament.  He  lived,  indeed, 
as  is  probable,  at  a  later  period,  when  the  faith  in  a  future  life  of 
retribution  may  have  begun  to  prevail ;  but  he  had  had  no  authori- 
tative assurance  of  it.  It  was  a  mere  question  of  speculative 
philosophy,  when  speculation  on  the  subject  commenced.  (See  the 
note  on  chap.  iii.  17,  19,  21 ;  xii.  7.)  As  to  the  charge  of  Sad- 
duceeism,  it  is  at  least  inconsistent  with  the  author's  alleged  ten- 
dency to  fatalism.  For  the  Sadducees,  according  to  Josephus, 
"  take  away  fate,  and  say  there  is  no  such  thing,  and  that  the 
events  of  human  affairs  are  not  at  its  disposal ;  but  they  suppose 
that  all  our  actions  are  in  our  own  power,  so  that  we  are  our- 
selves the  causes  of  what  is  good,  and  receive  what  is  evil  from  our 
own  folly."* 

As  to  the  charge  of  Epicurism,  if  by  this  is  meant  that  the 
Preacher  recommends  self-indulgence, — that  is,  the  pleasures  of 
sense,  or  pleasures  of  any  kind,  without  regard  to  the  obligations 

*  Wliiston's  Josephus,  Antiq.,  xiii.  5,  9. 


112  INTRODUCTION    TO 

of  duty  and  religion,  —  it  appears  to  me  that  it  is  entirely  false,  as 
I  shall  show  in  the  notes  upon  those  passages  which  have  been  sup- 
posed to  justify  it.  The  foundation  of  this  opinion  is  a  too  literal  in- 
terpretation of  certain  figurative  and  pointed  expressions,  in  which 
the  author  recommends  a  quiet  enjoyment  of  the  good  that  one 
possesses,  in  contradistinction  from  excessive  earnestness,  anxiety, 
and  exertion  after  distant  and  future  good.  No  sound  moralist 
will  maintain,  that  the  pleasures  derived  from  the  eye,  the  ear,  or 
even  the  palate,  are  to  be  regarded  as  sinful,  and  denounced  as 
Epicurean.  The  Preacher  is  careful  to  tell  us,  that  a  man  cannot 
have  the  quiet  enjoyment  of  life,  namely,  "wisdom  and  knowl- 
edge and  joy,"  except  by  "  the  gift  of  God  to  those  who  are  good 
in  his  sight,"  that  is,  who  discharge  the  duties  of  morality  and  re- 
ligion. (Chap.  ii.  26.)  It  is  idle  to  say  that  he  recommends  the 
pleasures  of  sense  as  constituting  a  happy  life  without  "wisdom 
and  knowledge  and  joy." 

There  are  some  other  topics  on  which  the  Preacher  has  been 
supposed  to  utter  sentiments  irreconcilable  with  each  other,  when 
he  is,  in  fact,  only  giving  the  results  df  his  various  experience,  and 
speaking  of  the  subject  in  different  relations.  Thus,  he  often 
speaks  in  praise  of  wisdom,  and  of  the  advantages  which  it  confers 
on  its  possessor ;  whilst,  in  other  passages,  he  gives  an  impressive 
view  of  its  insufficiency  to  guard  its  possessor  from  many  of  the 
calamities  and  trials  which  flesh  is  heir  to.  There  is  no  inconsist- 
ency here.  He  also  uses  the  word  in  different  senses.  When  he 
says  that  "  in  much  wisdom  is  much  vexation,  and  he  that  increases 
knowledge  increases  sorrow,"  he  is  speaking  of  mere  speculative- 
knowledge.  His  meaning  is,  that  the  more  one  knows  of  the  world, 
the  more  he  knows  of  its  vanity,  and  that  mere  speculative  knowl- 
edge cannot  confer  true  satisfaction  or  happiness.  In  other  pas- 
sages, he  commends  that  practical  wisdom  which  enables  its 
possessor  to  avoid  the  consequences  of  folly. 

In  order  to  explain  the  seeming  inconsistencies  which  have  been 
considered,  the  hypothesis  has  been  advanced  by  some  critics,  such 
as  Herder  and  Eichhorn,  who  were  never  at  a  loss  for  an  hypothesis 
on  any  subject,  that  the  Book  of  Ecclesiastes  consists  of  a  dialogue, 
in  which  the  speakers  offer  different  sentiments  on  the  subject  un- 
der discussion.     K  our  views  are  correct,  such  an  hypothesis  is 


ECCLESIASTES.  *  113 

unnecessary.  But  if  the  exigency  for  it  were  t'en  times  greater 
than  it  is,  the  difficulty  of  dividing  and  arranging  the  book,  so  as 
to  make  it  form  a  natural  dialogue,  is  such,  that  the  hypothesis 
must  be  regarded  as  forced  and  arbitrary  in  the  highest  degree.  It 
has  met  with  very  little  favor,  and  is  too  improbable  to  deserve  a 
particular  examination. 

The  great  fault  of  the  interpreters  of  this  book  has  been  that  of 
ascribing  to  it  more  depth  of  thought,  more  logic,  more  method, 
more  consistency,  greater  definiteness  of  statement,  and  greater 
particularity  of  design,  than  really  belong  to  it.  Stuart,  though 
not  consistent,  is  liable  to  this  charge.  (See  his  Introduction, 
p.  34.)  The  bold,  indefinite,  unprecise  language  of  the  author 
has  given  great  opportunity  to  the  commentators  of  attaching 
their  thoughts  to  the  writer's  language,  instead  of  extracting  from 
it  his  own  thoughts.  Thus,  Desvoeux,  in  his  Commentary,  makes 
the  book  contain  a  logical  and  well-arranged  argument  to  prove 
the  immortality  of  the  soul  and  a  future  state  of  retribution.  Um- 
breit  regards  it  as  a  philosophical  inquiry  relating  to  the  summum 
bonum,  or  chief  good.*  Martin  Luther  says:  "The  nature  and 
design  of  this  book  is  to  teach  us  that  we  should  with  thankfulness 
enjoy  present  things,  and  the  creatures  which  God  has  abundantly 
bestowed  upon  us,  and  not  be  anxious  about  the  future ;  keeping 
a  tranquil,  quiet  spirit,  and  a  mind  full  of  joy,  being  contented 
with  the  word  and  works  of  God."f  Jahn  coincides  in  opinion 
with  Luther.  "  The  author,"  says  he,  "  does  not  dwell  upon  the 
vanity  and  vexatiousness  of  human  affairs  more  than  upon  an 
agreeable  use  of  the  pleasures  of  life ;  and  therefore  his  intention 
evidently  was  to  repress  the  restless  and  eager  efforts  of  men, 
which  hurry  them  on  in  heaping  up  wealth,  in  securing  pleasures, 
and  acquiring  honors ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  instruct  them  not 
to  increase  the  troubles  of  life  by  denying  themselves  the  enjoy- 
ment of  harmless,  though  uncertain  and  fleeting,  pleasures."  J 
On  this  opinion  of  Luther  and  Jahn,  the  remark  may  be  made, 
that  it  is  just  to  a  certain  extent.    The  practical  design  which  they 

*  Koheleth  Scepticus  de  Summo  Bono.    Commentatio  philosophicocritica. 
Gotting.,  1820. 

t  Pref.  in  Ecclesiastem,  in  0pp.  Lat.,  edit.  Wittenb.,  torn.  iv.  p.  2. 
t  Jahn's  Introd.  to  0.  T.,  §  212. 


114  INTRODUCTION    TO 

ascribe  to  the  author  was,  without  doubt,  entertained  by  him ;  but 
whether  it  ought  to  be  regarded  as  the  chief  and  special  design  of 
the  whole  book  may  be  doubted.  On  the  contrary,  the  practical 
recommendation  of  the  Preacher,  as  stated  by  Luther  and  Jahn, 
occurs  in  the  book  as  an  inference  from  the  general  view  of  the 
vanity  of  human  things  which  he  undertook  to  illustrate. 

Various  other  designs  have  been  assigned  to  the  author ;  among 
which  is  that  of  Kaiser,  who  supposes  the  work  to  be  an  historico- 
didactic  poem,  in  which  the  chai'acters  of  the  Jewish  kings,  from 
Solomon  to  Zedekiah,  are  set  forth  and  censured,  so  as  to  show 
what  was  the  cause  of  the  ruin  of  the  Jewish  nation.*  The  chief 
objection  to  this  theory  is,  that  the  author  of  the  work  has  given 
no  intimation,  directly  or  indirectly,  of  any  such  design. 

There  is  also  the  theory  of  Ewald,  who  supposes  the  book  to 
have  been  written  when  Palestine  had  become  a  province  of  Per- 
sia, and  the  Jews  were  suti'ering  under  the  tyranny  and  violence 
of  the  Persian  satraps.  In  this  state  of  things,  some  of  them  had 
become  weary  of  life  and  indifferent  to  all  things ;  some  plunged 
themselves  into  pleasures ;  and  some  openly  inveighed  against 
their  oppressors,  and  thus  exasperated  their  minds  the  more 
against  them.  In  such  times,  says  Ewald, f  the  Preacher  under- 
took to  compose  a  book  in  which  he  exhorts  his  countrymen  "to 
bear  present  evils  with  patience,  to  be  cautious  and  circumspect 
in  speech,  and,  above  all,  to  fear  God,  who  would  at  some  time 
bring  all  things  into  judgment  and  set  all  things  right.  He 
exhorts  them,  therefore,  not  to  sink  under  their  calamities,  but  to 
enjoy,  with  a  grateful  and  cheerful  mind,  the  goods  which  had  been 
placed  within  their  reach." 

The  objection  to  this  theory,  too,  is,  that  it  is  mere  theory ; 
that,  even  if  the  book  was  written  in  the  circumstances  of  national 
distress  which  the  writer  supposes,  of  which,  however,  there  is  no 
evidence,  there  is  no  such  necessary  allusion  to  national  aflfairs  as 
this  theory  implies.     There  are  no  sentiments  in  the  book  which 

*  Koheletli,  das  Collectivum  der  Davidischen  Konige  in  Jerusalem,  eiu 
historisches  Lehrgedicht  iiber  den  Umsturtz  des  Judischen  Staates.  Erlan- 
gen,  1823. 

t  In  his  remarks  on  Ecclesiastes,  appended  to  his  work,  Das  Hohelied 
Salomo's,  iibersetzt,  &.c.     Gutting.,  lb2G. 


ECCLESIASTES.  115 

the  vicissitudes  of  human  life  may  not  have  led  the  author  to 
express  in  any  circumstances  of  the  Jewish  nation.  A  similar 
theory  was  proposed  by  Warburton,  with  reference  to  the  Book  of 
Job,  and  with  as  little  foundation. 

The  only  proper  way  of  coming  at  the  truth  in  relation  to  this 
subject  is  to  consider  the  author  as  having  designed  to  do  what  he 
has  actually  done ;  not  to  ascribe  to  him  any  greater  unity  or 
speciality  of  purpose  than  appears  in  his  work ;  not  to  make  the 
thoughts  on  various  topics,  thrown  off  as  they  arose  freely  in 
the  mind  of  the  author  and  connected  by  casual  associations,  the 
parts  of  a  logical  argument,  or  the  means  of  accomplishing  an 
elaborate  plan,  which  may  never  have  existed  in  his  mind. 

If  we  gather  the  design  of  the  author  from  what  he  has  done, 
we  must  conclude  that  his  purpose  was  to  please,  to  instruct,  and 
to  improve  his  readers,  by  making  known  to  them  his  thoughts  on 
the  vanity  of  human  life.  The  illustration  of  this  topic  is,  and  is 
regarded  by  the  common  reader,  the  prominent  aim  of  the  author. 
"Vanity  of  vanities,  vanity  of  vanities,  all  is  vanity,"  is  the  begin- 
ning, the  middle,  and  the  end  of  the  essay.  It  is  the  chain  which 
binds  the  whole  together.  And  yet  all  parts  of  it  do  not  conspire 
merely  to  illustrate  this  one  topic.  Throughout  the  work  are 
interspersed  advice  and  proverbial  maxims  respecting  the  conduct 
of  life  and  the  discharge  of  duty  in  relation  to  man  and  God. 
The  author  springs  from  one  topic  to  another,  to  which  he  is 
drawn  by  some  casual  association,  pursues  the  latter  for  a  time, 
and  then  returns  to  the  former.  The  vanity  of  human  things 
being  regarded  as  the  main  doctrinal  view  of  the  author,  the 
general  subject  of  the  book,  wliat  Luther  maintains  to  be  its  chief 
design,  may  be  regarded  as  his  prominent  practical  inference ; 
namely,  that  men  should,  in  the  discharge  of  duty,  enjoy  with 
gratitude  the  blessings  of  life  as  they  come,  without  distressinf"- 
anxiety  and  over-strenuous  exertions  after  distant  and  future  good. 
Yet  the  practice  of  virtue  and  the  fear  of  God  are  enjoined  as 
of  the  first  importance  in  regard  to  the  enjoyment  of  such  happi- 
ness as  may  be  attained  in  a  world  of  vanity ;  and  while  the  young 
and  the  old  are  encouraged  to  enjoy  life  as  it  passes,  and  to  lose 
none  of  its  pleasures  through  a  spirit  of  asceticism,  or  of  anxiety 
and  ambition  about  the  distant  and  the  future,  yet  only  such  an 


116  INTRODUCTION    TO 

enjoyment  of  the  good  tilings  of  life  is  recommended  as  is  con- 
sistent with  the  constant  remembrance  of  the  Creator,  and  of  the 
judgment  which  is  appointed  for  all. 

That  the  preceding  account  of  the  subject  and  design  of  the 
book  is  correct,  may  appear  from  a  more  particular  analysis  of  it, 
and  from  the  commentary  which  follows  it. 

The  principal  thought  is  first  laid  down,  that  all  is  vain  and 
unprofitable.  (Chap.  i.  1,  2.)  This  view  the  Preacher  illus- 
trates, — 

1.  By  the  wearisome,   ever-recurring  changes  which  are  taking 

place  without  bringing  to  pass  any  thing  new,  or  leading  to 
any  new  result  which  is  adapted  to  give  satisfaction  to  the 
mind  of  man.     (Ver.  4—11.) 

2.  By   the   dissatisfaction   attending  the   pursuit   of  wisdom   or 

knowledge.     (Ver.  12-18.) 

3.  By  the  unsatisfactoriness  of  the  pleasures  of  life  and  of  striv- 

ings after  them,  even  when  united  with  the  pursuit  of  knowl- 
edge and  philosophy.     (Chap.  ii.  1-11.) 

4.  The  author  then  compares  the   pleasures    of  knowledge  and 

the  pleasures  of  sense  with  one  another,  and  passes  judg- 
ment on  them ;  and  recommends  it  as  the  best  course  which 
a  man  can  pursue,  in  order  to  make  the  best  of  a  vain  world, 
to  give  up  anxious  cares  about  distant  objects  and  perplexing 
subjects,  and  to  enjoy  with  a  tranquil,  contented,  cheerful 
mind  the  blessings  of  life,  as  he  goes  along  in  its  paths. 
(Chap.  ii.  12-26.) 

5.  The  vanity  of  humaa  things  is  illustrated  by  their  established 

changes  and  periods,  their  fixed  course,  all  things  having 
their  limits  and  time  appointed  by  a  higher  power  than  man's. 
Hence  the  folly  of  anxiety,  and  the  vanity  of  over-strenuous 
exertion,  since  man  cannot  alter  the  fixed  and  established 
course  of  things ;  and  hence  the  wisdom  of  taking  things  as 
they  come,  and  making  the  best  of  them,  in  obedience  and 
submission  to  the  Divine  will,  which  controls  and  disposes 
all  things.      (Chap.  iii.  1-15.) 

6.  The  vanity  of  human  things  is  illustrated  by  the  prevalence  of 

injustice   and  violence   among  men,    and  the  resemblance 


ECCLESIASTES.  117 

of  man  to  brutes  in  respect  to  hardships  and  death.  Hence, 
too,  the  Preacher  derives  the  conclusion,  that  it  is  best  to 
take  a  cheerful  enjoyment  of  the  good  things  of  life,  without 
anxious  cares  respecting  the  future.     (Chap.  iii.  16-22.) 

7.  The  vanity  of  human  things  is  next  illustrated  by  reference  to 

the  sufferings  of  the  oppressed ;  the  envy  which  is  excited 
toward  the  prosperous  ;  the  evils  of  avarice  and  of  solitude  ; 
the  evils  attendant  on  royalty,  arising  from  the  infirmities 
of  its  possessor  and  the  fickleness  of  the  people.  (Chap,  iv.) 
Then  follow  some  proverbial  maxims  respecting  the  worship 
of  God  (chap.  V.  1-7)  ;  then  proverbs  recommending  the 
quiet  pursuit  of  agriculture,  in  preference  to  the  agitating, 
avaricious  pursuit  of  wealth  (8-17).  These  are  followed  by 
the  advice  before  given ;  namely,  to  enjoy  the  good  things  of 
life  as  they  come,  without  anxiety  or  wearisome  efforts  after 
distant  and  future  good  (18-20). 

8.  The  vanity  of  human  things  connected  with  wealth  hoarded  up 

without  being  enjoyed  or  used  (chap.  vi.  1-6),  and  with 
insatiable  desires  (7-9).  Then  follows  an  obscure  passage, 
apparently  intended  to  illustrate  the  vanity  of  human  things 
(10-12). 

9.  Then  follows  a  series  of  maxims  and  precepts  respecting  the 

guidance,  support,  and  consolation  of  men  in  their  passage 
through  life,  recommending  righteousness  and  piety,  with 
occasional  remarks  on  the  vanity  of  human  things,  such  as 
the  vanity  of  striving  after  wisdom,  the  certainty  of  death, 
&c.  (Chap.  vii.  1-viii.  13.) 
10.  Then  follows  a  new  illustration  of  the  vanity  of  human  things, 
drawn  from  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked  and  the  sufferings 
of  the  righteous,  and  the  impossibility  of  comprehending  the 
ways  of  Providence  ;  closing  with  the  practical  exhortation, 
which  he  has  given  so  many  times  before,  to  a  quiet  and 
cheerful  enjoyment  of  life,  while  life  lasts,  as  "his  portion," 
as  "all  that  abideth  with  him  of  his  labor,"  without  indulg- 
ing in  vain  grief  for  what  cannot  be  helped,  or  in  the  anxious, 
restless  pursuit  of  that  which  cannot  be  attained,  or  which, 
when  attained,  yields  no  satisfaction.  "  Go  thy  way,"  says 
he,  after  giving  the  most  melancholy  picture  of  life  which  he 


118  INTRODUCTION    TO 

has  yet  presented,  **  eat  thy  bread  with  joy,  and  drink  thy 
wine  with  a  cheerful  heart;  for  now  is  God  pleased  with 
thy  works.  Let  thy  garments  be  always  white,  and  let  not 
fragrant  oil  be  wanting  upon  thy  head.  Enjoy  life  with  the 
wife  whom  thou  lovest,  all  the  days  of  thy  vain  life,  which 
he  hath  given  thee  under  the  sun,  all  thy  vain  days."  — 
(Chap.  viii.  14 -ix.  10.) 

11.  A  new  illustration  of  the  vanity  of  human  life,  drawn  from 

the  circumstances,  that  success  does  not  always  answer  to  a 
man's  strength,  wisdom,  or  other  advantages ;  and  that  wis- 
dom, with  all  its  benefits  to  the  public,  often  brings  but  little 
consideration  to  its  possessor.  Then  follow  various  prover- 
bial maxims,  showing  the  advantages  of  wisdom  and  pru- 
dence, and  the  evil  of  rulers  unfit  for  their  station ;  and 
designed  to  regulate  the  conduct  in  private  and  public. 
This  section  closes  with  a  recommendation  of  liberality  to 
the  poor,  and  of  diligent  exertion  in  our  appropriate  pur- 
suits, without  an  over-anxious  solicitude  respecting  the  issue 
of  our  labors.     (Chap.  ix.  11 -xi.  6.) 

12.  The  Preacher  now  exhorts  to  a  cheerful  enjoyment  of  life  as 

it  passes,  and  the  putting  away  of  care  and  sorrow,  in  view 
of  that  portion  of  life's  vanity  which  consists  in  the  evil 
days  of  old  age,  and  of  the  long  period  of  darkness  in 
prospect.  (Chap.  xi.  7-xii.  8.)  Then  follows  a  repetition 
of  the  chief  truth  which  has  been  illustrated  in  the  work, 
namely,  the  vanity  of  human  things ;  and  the  final  recom- 
mendation of  the  Preacher,  as  the  conclusion  of  the  whole 
discourse,  and  the  duty  of  every  man;  namely,  "to  fear 
God  and  keep  his  commandments."     (Chap.  xii.  9-14.) 

From  this  view  of  the  contents  of  the  Book  of  Ecclesiastes,  it 
may  be  inferred  that  the  author  was  a  man  of  wisdom,  virtue,  and 
religion,  according  to  the  light  which  he  had.  He  was  not  a 
fatalist,  or  a  sceptic,  or  an  Epicurean,  in  any  offensive  sense  of 
those  terms.  He  may  be  regarded  as  of  a  free,  speculative,  and 
somewhat  sceptical  turn  of  mind,  but  still  holding  fast  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  the  Jewish  faith.  If  he  had  doubts,  they 
related  to  subjects  upon  which  he  found  no  certain  light  in  the 


ECCLESIASTES.  119 

religion  of  his  fathers  and  his  eountr}\  If  he  recommended 
the  enjoyment  of  life,  it  was  such  an  enjoyment  as  was  consistent 
with  virtue  and  religion.  A  deep  sense  of  religion  is  evidently 
habitual  to  him,  notwithstanding  the  difficulties  which  perplexed 
his  understanding.  He  has  a  living  faith  in  a  wise  and  benevolent 
God,  and  a  righteous  government  of  the  world,  though  the  princi- 
ples of  this  government  are  regarded  by  him  as  being  beyond  the 
comprehension  of  man.  t^ 

On  the  other  hand,  it  may  be  conceded  that  he  has  given  a 
more  melancholy  view  of  human  life  than  is  consistent  with  the 
spirit  of  Christianity,  or  of  a  comprehensive  philosophy.  Many 
Christians  have  taken  just  such  a  melancholy  view  of  human  life, 
and  like  no  hymn  better  than  the  one  beginning,  "  I  would  not 
live  alway."  But  the  Preacher  had  never  heard  the  glad  tidings 
of  great  joy  to  all  people.  The  light  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 
had  not  arisen  upon  his  mind. 

It  may  be  admitted,  too,  that  the  subject  of  enjoyment  occupied 
a  more  prominent  place  in  the  mind  of  the  author  than  in  the 
mind  of  Jesus  Christ.  A  higher,  more  disinterested,  more  devoted 
spirit  pervades  the  teachings  of  Him  who  spake  as  never  man 
spake  than  we  can  find  in  any  of  the  writings  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. The  Christian  is  taught  to  do  his  duty,  and  let  enjoyment 
take  care  of  itself.  "  Seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness,  and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you,"  is  the 
language  of  him  who  came  to  perfect  the  law,  I  do  not  mean 
that  the  Book  of  Ecclesiastes  contains  any  particular  precept 
absolutely  inconsistent  with  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  But  in 
respect  to  its  tone,  spirit,  and  the  prominence  it  gives  to  certain 
topics,  it  must  be  allowed  to  be  far  behind  it.  A  spirit  of  self- 
sacrifice  for  the  good  of  others  is  certainly  not  so  congenial  to  the 
mind  of  the  author  as  to  the  mind  of  Christ. 

Finally,  if  it  be  conceded  that  the  Preacher  expresses  occa- 
sional doubts,  where  Paul  or  John  would  be  rejoicing  in  hope  and 
confidence,  this  should  not  lead  us  to  give  the  ancient  Hebrew 
essayist  the  name  of  Sadducee,  sceptic,  or  Epicurean,  but  rather 
to  thank  God,  who  has  raised  up  Jesus  to  show  us  the  nature  and 
design  of  our  present  existence,  and  "to  bring  life  and  immor- 
tality to  light." 


120  INTRODUCTION    TO 

Perhaps  it  may  be  well  to  say  a  few  words  on  the  authorship 
of  Ecclesiastes,  though,  in  a  work  of  its  didactic  character,  this  is 
not  a  very  important  question.  That  by  "the  Preacher,  the  son 
of  David,"  in  chap.  i.  1,  is  denoted  Solomon,  there  can  be  no 
doubt.  But  this  by  no  means  proves  that  Solomon  was  the  author 
of  the  composition ;  but  only  that  the  author,  whoever  he  was, 
adopted  the  plan  of  introducing  into  the  book  one  so  celebrated 
throughout  the  East  for  wisdom  and  for  prosperity  as  Solomon, 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  weight  to  the  sentiments  which  are  put 
into  his  mouth.  In  adopting  this  plan,  it  is  not  probable  that  he 
intended  to  deceive  his  contemporaries,  but  only  to  make  use  of  a 
literary  fiction,  such  as  is  common  in  modern  times ;  a  fiction 
wliich  is  not  very  carefully  supported.  The  prevalent  belief,  it  is 
true,  has  been  that  Solomon  was  the  author  of  the  book.  The 
first  commentator,  so  far  as  I  know,  who  called  the  received 
opinion  in  question,  was  the  accomplished  scholar  and  jurist, 
Hugo  Grotius.  "I  think,"  says  he,  "the  work  is  not  a  produc- 
tion of  Solomon,  but  one  written  in  the  name  of  that  king,  as 
being  led  by  repentance  to  the  composition  of  it.  It  contains 
many  words  which  cannot  be  found,  except  in  Ezra,  Daniel,  and 
the  Chaldee  paraphrasts."  In  expressing  his  opinion,  Grotius, 
with  his  usual  sagacity,  has  mentioned  by  far  the  strongest  argu- 
ment in  its  support ;  namely,  the  characteristics  of  the  language  of 
Ecclesiastes,  especially  those  which  give  it  an  Aramaean  complexion. 
These  are  so  scattered  throughout  the  work,  that  it  is  sufficient  to 
refer  the  Hebrew  scholar  to  the  whole  Hebrew  original.  He 
cannot  read  the  first  chapter  of  it,  without  having  strong  doubts 
whether  it  was  written  by  the  principal  author  of  the  Book  of 
Proverbs.* 

The  Book  of  Proverbs,  if  not  wholly  composed  by  Solomon, 
must  be  regarded,  to  a  great  extent,  as  his  production,  and 
undoubtedly  belongs  to  his  age,  to  the  flourishing  period  of  the 
Hebrew  language  and  literature.     But  whoever  will  proceed  from 


*  For  an  enumeration  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  language  of  Ecclesiastes, 
the  critical  reader  is  referred  to  De  Wette's  Introduction  to  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, or  to  a  still  more  complete  view  of  them  in  Knobel's  German  Com- 
mentary, pp.  60-75. 


ECCLESIASTES.  121 

the  perusal  of  the  Proverbs  of  Solomon  to  that  of  the  Book  of 
Ecclesiastes  must  receive  from  the  diction  of  the  latter  a  strong 
conviction  that  it  is  not  only  the  production  of  a  different  author, 
but  of  a  later  age.  In  fact,  there  has  been  no  greater  opposi- 
tion to  this  opinion  than  was  to  be  expected  from  the  natural 
prejudice  in  favor  of  the  received  tradition.  The  best  scholars 
since  the  time  of  Grotius,  who  have  given  attention  to  the  subject, 
have  adopted  his  opinion.  Even  the  Romanist,  Jahn,  who  is  very- 
slow  to  adopt  an  opinion  not  in  accordance  with  the  tradition  of 
the  church,  is  unable  to  resist  the  evidence  against  the  opinion  that 
Solomon  was  the  author  of  Ecclesiastes.  Such  critics  as  Dathe, 
Doderlein,  and  Pareau  are  of  the  same  opinion.  Dathe  observes, 
that  "Doderlein  and  Eichhom  have  established  their  point  by 
arguments  so  weighty,  that  none  except  very  stubborn  defenders 
of  ancient  traditions  can  deny  it."  * 

Even  Professor  Stuart,  in  his  recent  work  on  the  canon  of  the 
Old  Testament  (p.  139),  admits,  though  the  admission  is  hardly 
consistent  with  the  general  argument  of  his  book,  that  "the 
diction  of  this  book  differs  so  widely  from  that  of  Solomon  in 
the  Book  of  Proverbs,  that  it  is  difficult  to  believe  that  both  came 
from  the  same  pen.  Chaucer  does  not  differ  more  from  Pope, 
than  Ecclesiastes  from  Proverbs.  It  appears  to  me,  when  I  read 
Coheleth,  that  it  presents  one  of  those  cases  which  leave  no  room 
for  doubt,  so  striking  and  prominent  is  the  discrepancy." 

Knobel,  the  author  of  one  of  the  best  critical  commentaries  on 
Ecclesiastes  with  which  we  are  acquainted,  says,  "No  point  in 
the  criticism  of  the  Old  Testament  is  better  established  than  that 
Ecclesiastes  was  not  written  by  Solomon,  but  in  a  later  age." 
More  recently,  Hitzig  and  Heiligstedt  agree  in  the  same  conclu- 
sion. It  ought  to  be  mentioned,  however,  that  there  are  those 
who  maintain  a  different  opinion.  Whoever  wishes  to  see  the 
arguments  on  the  other  side  of  the  question  may  find  them 
well  stated  in  a  preliminary  dissertation  to  Ecclesiastes,  by  George 
Holden,  London,  1822.  They  will  not  pass  for  much  with  those 
who  are  in  the  habit  of  weighing,  rather  than  of  counting,  argu- 
ments. 

*  Jobus,  Ecclesiastes,  &c.,  a  Dathio,  p.  358. 
6 


122  INTRODUCTION    TO 

There  are  also  other  considerations,  which,  though  they  may 
not  be  in  the  highest  degree  conckisive  when  standing  alone,  yet 
confirm  the  conclusion  drawn  from  the  diction  of  Ecclesiastes. 
It  appears  to  me,  that  the  English  reader  may  perceive,  in  the 
general  style,  character,  and  topics  of  the  book,  reasons  for 
supposing  that  it  came  from  another  author  than  that  of  the 
Book  of  Proverbs.  The  style  of  the  latter  is  concise,  terse, 
elevated ;  that  of  the  former  is  quite  diffuse,  vague,  prosaic. 
The  instruction  of  the  one  is  preceptive  and  positive,  having  no 
reference  to  speculative  doubts ;  that  of  the  other  is  in  the  way 
of  philosophic  discussion,  presenting  the  different  aspects  in  which 
a  subject  may  be  viewed,  and  what,  on  the  whole,  is  to  be  re- 
garded as  the  truth. 

There  are  several  topics,  introduced  into  the  book,  which  seem 
not  very  appropriate  to  the  reign  of  Solomon,  and  which,  if  they 
had  been  so,  that  wise  monarch  might  have  been  expected  to  pass 
over  in  silence.  Among  these  are  the  complaints  of  the  oppres- 
sion of  unjust  rulers  (chap.  iii.  16;  iv.  1),  of  the  extortions  of 
provincial  magistrates  (chap.  v.  8),  and  of  the  elevation  of  infe- 
rior men  to  high  stations  (chap.  x.  5-7).  In  fact,  whenever  the 
author  speaks  of  kings  and  governors,  he  speaks  in  the  tone  of  a 
subject  rather  than  a  king ;  of  an  observer,  rather  than  of  a  holder, 
of  kingly  power.  (See  iv.  13-16;  v.  8,  9 ;  viil.  2-5;  ix.  13-18; 
X.  4-7,  16-20.) 

The  fiction,  according  to  which  the  sentiments  of  the  book  are 
put  into  the  mouth  of  Solomon,  is  so  unskilfully  sustained,  that  it 
appears  to  be  only  a  fiction.  If  the  book  were  written  by  Solo- 
mon, why  does  he  say,  "I  was  king"?  A  living  king  would  be 
more  likely  to  say,  "I,  the  king,"  &c.  "Why  should  Solomon  say 
to  his  contemporaries  that  he  was  king  in  Jerusalem')  Before  the 
separation  of  the  ten  tribes,  it  was  a  superfluous  expression.  Ko 
one  had  been  king  in  Samaria.  Especially,  why  should  he  say 
that  he  had  gained  greater  wisdom  than  all  his  predecessors  at 
Jerusalem  (chap.  i.  16),  when  he  had  only  one  predecessor  in  that 
city ;  namely,  David.  All  these  expressions,  however,  might 
easily  have  escaped  from  an  author  not  careful  to  maintain  a 
literary  fiction.  In  chap.  i.  16,  11.  9,  15,  19,  Solomon  is  repre- 
sented as  praising  his  own  wisdom,  and  relating  his  own  experi- 


ECCLESIASTES.  123 

ence  in  a  manner  not  very  natural  to  a  real,  living  person. 
Finally,  the  author,  in  chap.  xii.  9,  seems  to  drop  the  fiction,  and 
to  speak  of  Solomon  in  the  third  person. 

It  is  much  more  difficult  to  form  a  confident  opinion  as  to  the 
time  when  the  Book  of  Ecclesiastes  was  written,  than  it  is  to 
decide  that  it  belongs  to  a  much  later  age  than  that  of  Solomon. 
From  the  Aramsean  complexion  of  the  language,  from  the  religious 
and  literary  character  of  the  book,  and  from  its  spirit  and  tone,  as 
being  suited  to  times  of  calamity  and  oppression,  one  may  feel 
considerable  confidence  that  it  was  written  after  the  return  of  the 
Jews  from  the  exile  at  Babylon ;  and  there  seems  to  be  nothing 
to  object  to  the  prevalent  opinion  of  the  German  critics,  such  as 
J)e  Wette,  Knobel,  and  Ewald,  who  date  the  composition  of  it 
near  the  fall  of  the  Persian  monarchy,  or  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Macedonian  domination  under  Alexander;  that  is,  about  three 
hundred  and  thirty  years  before  the  Christian  era.  But  it  may 
have  been  written  somewhat  later.  The  occurrence  of  two  words 
of  Persian  origin,  ^'!}^r>  and  Q3tlQ,  in  chap.  ii.  5,  viii.  11,  in  con- 
nection with  the  arguments  which  have  been  mentioned  for  the 
late  origin  of  the  book,  seems  to  favor  this  supposition.  There 
are  no  reasons  of  any  weight  for  supposing  the  Jewish  canon  of 
Scripture  to  Kave  closed  before  this  period.  We  are  inclined, 
however,  to  adopt  the  date  above  mentioned,  rather  from  the 
absence  of  more  valid  arguments  in  favor  of  any  other  opinion, 
than  from  the  conclusiveness  of  the  reasons  urged  in  its  support.* 
As  to  the  opinion  which  has  been  advanced,  that  traces  of  an 
acquaintance  with  Grecian  philosophy  are  found  in  Ecclesiastes, 
we  can  only  say  that  we  have  not  been  able  to  discern  them. 

Whoever  wishes  for  a  list  of  the  commentators  on  Ecclesiastes 
will  find  one  long  enough  to  satisfy  him  in  Rosenmiiller's  Introduc- 
tion to  this  book.  Of  those  which  he  has  not  mentioned,  I  have 
seen — An  Attempt  to  illustrate  the  Book  of  Ecclesiastes,  by  the 
Kev.  George  Holden,  M.A.,  London,  1822 ;  Uebersetzung  des 
Koheleth  nebst  grammatisch  exegetischem  Commentar,  von  Moses 
Heinemann,  Berlin,  1831 ;  and  Commentar  iiber  das  Buch  Kohe- 

*  See  Davidson's  Int.  to  0.  T.,  ii.  p.  356,  &c 


1.24    INTRODUCTION  TO  E  CCLESI ASTES. 

leth,  von  August  Knobel,  Leipzig,  1836.  In  preparing  this  edi- 
tion, I  have  also,  on  the  more  important  passages,  consulted  the 
Commentaries  of  Hitzig,  Heiligstedt,  Stuart,  and  Ginsburg  (Lon- 
don, 1861).  A  few  changes  in  the  version,  and  some  additional 
notes,  have  been  made. 

Cambridge,  Nov.  14,  1866. 


ECCLESIASTES. 


1  The  words  of  the  Preacher,  the  son  of  David,  king  in 
Jerusalem. 

2  Vanity  of  vanities,  saith  the  Preacher,  vanity  of  vani- 

3  ties,  all  is  vanity.    What  profit  hath  a  man  by  all  his  labor 

4  with  which  he  wearieth  himself  under  the  sun  ?  One 
generation  passeth  away,  and  another  generation  cometh ; 

5  while  the  earth  abideth  for  ever.  The  sun  riseth,  and  the 
sun  goeth  down,  and  hasteneth   to   the   place  whence   it 

6  arose.  The  wind  goeth  toward  the  south,  and  turneth 
about  to  the  north ;  round  and  round  goeth  the  wind,  and 

7  returneth  to  its  circuits.  All  the  rivers  run  into  the  sea, 
yet  the  sea  is  not  full ;  to  the  place  whence  the  rivers 

8  come,  thither  they  return.  All  words  become  weary  ;  man 
cannot  express  it ;  the  eye  is  not  satisfied  with  seeing,  nor 
the  ear  filled  with  hearing. 

9  The  thing  that  hath  been  is  that  which  shall  be,  and 
that  which  hath  beeu  done  is  that  which  shall  be  done ; 

10  and  there  is  no  new  thing  under  the  sun.  Is  there  any 
thing  of  which  one  may  say,   "  Behold,   this    is    new "  ? 

11  It  was  long  ago,  in  the  times  which  were  before  us.  There 
is  no  remembrance  of  former  things,  and  of  things  that 
are  to  come  there  shall  be  no  remembrance  to  those  who 
live  afterwards. 

12  I,  the  Preacher,  was  king  over  Israel  at  Jerusalem. 

13  And  I  gave  my  mind  to  seek  and  to  search  out  with  wis- 
dom concerning  all  things  which  are  done  under  heaven ; 
an  evil  business,  which   God  hath  given  to  the  sons  of 

[1251 


126  ECCLESIASTES.  [chap.  ii. 

14  men,  in  wlilcli  to  employ  themselves.  I  saw  all  the 
things  which  are  done  nnder  the  sun  ;  and,  behold,  it  was 

15  all  vanity,  and  striving  after  wind.  That  which  is  crooked 
cannot  be  made  straight,  and  that  which  is  wanting  cannot 

16  be  numbered.  I  communed  with  my  heart,  saying,  "  Be- 
hold, I  have  gained  more  and  greater  wisdom  than  all  who 
have  been  before  me  at  Jerusalem  ;  yea,  my  mind  hath 

17  seen  much  wisdom  and  knowledge."  And  I  gave  my 
mind  to  know  wisdom,  and  to  know  senselessness  and  folly  ; 

18  I  perceived  that  this  also  is  striving  after  wind.  For  in 
much  wisdom  is  much  vexation,  and  he  that  increaseth 
knowledge  increaseth  sorrow. 

1  I  said  in  my  heart,  *'  Come,  now,  I  will  try  thee  with 
mirth ;    therefore    enjoy    pleasure ! "     But,    lo !    this    also 

2  was  vanity.    I  said  of  laughter,  "  It  is  mad  ;  "  and  of  mirth, 

3  "  What  availeth  it?  "  I  thought  in  my  heart  to  strengthen 
my  body  with  wine,  and,  while  my  heart  cleaved  to  wis- 
dom, to  lay  hold  on  folly,  till  I  should  see  what  was  good 
for  the  sons  of  men,  which  they  should  do  under  heaven 

4  all  the  days  of  their  life.     I  made  me  great  works.     I 
6  builded  me  houses ;  I  planted  me  vineyards.     I  made  me 

gardens  and  parks,  and  planted  in  them  fruit-trees  of  every 

6  kind.    I  made  me  pools  of  water,  with  which  to  water  the 

7  grove  shooting  up  trees.  I  got  me  men-servants  and 
maid-servants,  and  had  servants  born  in  my  house.  I  had 
also  great  possessions  of  herds  and  flocks,  more  than  all 

8  who  were  in  Jerusalem  before  me.  I  heaped  me  up  also 
silver  and  gold,  and  the  wealth  of  kings  and  of  provinces. 
I  got  me  men-singers  and  women-singers,  and  the  delight 
of  the  sons  of  men,  a  chosen  woman  and  chosen  women. 

9  So  I  became  greater  than  all  that  were  before  me  in  Jeru- 

10  salem.  My  wisdom  also  remained  with  me.  And  what- 
ever mine  eyes  desired  I  kept  not  from  them ;  I  withheld 
not  my .  heart  from  any  joy.  For  my  heart  rejoiced  by 
means  of  all  my  labor,  and  this  was  my  portion  from  all 

11  my  labor.  Then  I  looked  upon  all  the  works  which  my 
hands  had  wrought,  and  upon  all  the  labor  which  I  had 
toiled  in  performing;  and,  behold,  it  was  all  vanity,  and 
striving  after  wind,  and  there  was  no  profit  under  the 
sun. 


CHAP.  II.]  ECCLESIASTES.  127 

12  Then  I  turned  myself  to  behold  wisdom  and  senseless- 
ness and  folly.  For  what  can  the  man  do  that  cometh 
after  the  king  ?  even  that  which  hath  been  already  done. 

13  I  saw,  indeed,  that  wisdom  excelleth  folly,  as  far  as  light 

14  excelleth  darkness.  The  wise  man's  eyes  are  in  his  head, 
but  the  fool  walketh  in  dai-kness  ;  yet  I  perceived  also  that 

15  one  event  happen etli  to  them  all.  Then  I  said  in  my  heart, 
"As  it  happeneth  to  the  fool,  so  it  hapi>eneth  to  me. 
Why,  then,  became  I  wiser  tlian  others  ?  "    Then  I  said  in 

16  my  heart,  "  This  also  is  vanity."  For  there  is  no  remem- 
brance of  the  wise  man  more  than  of  the  fool  for  ever ; 
for  in  the  days  to  come  shall  all  have  long  been  forgotten ; 

17  and,  alas  !  the  wise  man  dieth,  as  well  as  the  fool.  There- 
fore I  hated  life,  because  what  is  done  under  the  sun 
appeared  evil  to  me.     For  all  is  vanity,  and  striving  after 

18  wind.  Yea,  I  hated  all  my  labor  which  I  had  performed 
under  the  sun,  because  I  must  leave  it  to  the  man  that 

19  shall  be  after  me.  And  who  knoweth  whether  he  shall 
be  a  wise  man  or  a  fool  ?  Yet  sliall  he  be  lord  of  all 
the  labor  with  which  I  have  wearied  myself,  and  in  which 
I  have  shown  myself  wise  under  the  sun.  This  also  is 
vanity. 

20  Therefore  I  turned  to  give  up  my  heart  to  despair  in 
regard  to  all  the  labor  with  which  I  had  wearied  mj'^self 

21  under  the  sun.  For  there  is  a  man  whose  labor  has  been 
with  wisdom  and  knowledge  and  skill ;  yet  to  a  man  who 
hath  not  labored  for  it  must  he  leave  it  as  his  portion, 

22  This  also  is  vanity  and  a  great  evil.  For  what  hath  man 
of  all  his  labor,  and  the  striving  of  his  spirit,  with  which 

23  he  wearieth  himself  under  the  sun  ?  For  all  his  days  are 
grief,  and  his  occupation  trouble ;  even   in  the  night  his 

24  heart  taketh  no  rest.  This  also  is  vanity.  There  is  noth- 
ing better  for  a  man  than  to  eat  and  drink,  and  let  his  soul 
enjoy  good  in  his  labor.     But  this,  as  I  have  seen,  cometh 

25  from  the  hand  of  God.     For  who  can  eat,  or  hasten  there- 

26  unto,  more  than  I  ?  For  to  a  man  who  is  good  in  his  sight 
God  giveth  wisdom  and  knowledge  and  joy ;  but  to  the 
sinner  he  giveth  the  wearisome  business  of  gathering  and 
heaping  up,  to  give  it  to  him  who  is  good  before  God. 
This  also  is  vanity,  and  striving  after  wind. 


128  ECCLESIASTES.  [chap.  hi. 

1  For  every  thing  there  is  a  fixed  period,  and  an  appointed 

2  time  to  every  thing  under  heaven :  —  A  time  to  be  born, 
and  a  time  to  die.    A  time  to  plant,  and  a  time  to  pluck  up 

3  what  is  planted.    A  time  to  kill,  and  a  time  to  heal    A  time 

4  to  breaking  down,  and  a  time  to  build  up.    A  time  to  weep, 
and  a  time  to  laugh.     A  time  to  mourn,  and  a  time  to 

5  dance.    A  time  to  cast  stones  asunder,  and  a  time  to  gather 
stones  together.    A  time  to  embrace,  and  a  time  to  refrain 

6  from  embracing.     A  time  to  seek,  and  a  time  to  lose.     A 

7  time  to  keep,  and  a  time  to  cast  away.     A  time  to  rend, 
and  a  time  to  sew.      A  time  to  keep  silence,  and  a  time  to 

8  speak.     A  time  to  love,  and  a  time   to  hate.     A  time  of 

9  war,  and  a  time  of  peace.  —  What  profit  hath  he  who  la- 
boreth  from  that  with  which  he  wearieth  himself? 

10  I  have  seen  the  business  which  God  hath  given  to  the 

11  sons  of  men  to  exercise  themselves  therewith.  God  maketh 
every  thing  good  in  its  time ;  but  he  hath  put  the  world 
into  the  heart  of  man,  so  that  he  understandeth  not  the 
work  which  God   doeth,  from   the  beginning  to   the   end. 

12  I  know  that  there  is  nothing  better  for  a  man  than  that 

13  he  should  rejoice  and  enjoy  good  his  life  long.  But  when 
a  man  eateth  and  drinketh,  and  enjoyeth  good  through  all 

14  his  labor,  this  is  the  gift  of  God.  I  know  that  whatever 
God  doeth,  that  shall  be  for  ever.  Nothing  can  be  added 
to  it,  and  nothing  taken  from  it ;  and  God  doeth  it  that 

15  men  may  fear  before  him.  That  which  is,  was  long  ago ; 
and  that  which  is  to  be,  hath  already  been  ;  and  God  recall- 
eth  that  which  is  past. 

16  Moreover,  I  saw  under  the  sun  that  in  the  place  of  jus- 
tice there  was  iniquity ;  and  in  the  place  of  righteousness, 

17  iniquity.  Then  said  I  in  my  heart,  "  God  will  judge  the 
righteous  and  the  wicked  For  there  shall  be  a  time  for 
every  matter  and  for  every  work. 

18  I  said  in  my  heart  concerning  the  sons  of  men,  that  God 
will  prove  them,  in  order  that  they  may  see  that  they  are 

19  like  the  beasts.  For  that  which  befalleth  the  sons  of  men 
befalleth  beasts  :  one  lot  befalleth  both.  As  the  one  dieth, 
so  dieth  the  other.  Yea,  there  is  one  spirit  in  them,  and 
a  man  hath  no  pre-eminence  above  a  beast ;  for  all  is  van- 

20  ity.     All  go  to  one  place ;  all  are  from  the  dust,  and  all 


CHAP.  IV.]  ECCLESIASTES.  129 

21  turn  to  dust  again.  Who  knoweth  the  spirit  of  man, 
whether  it  goeth  upward,  and  the  spirit  of  a  beast,  whether 

22  it  goeth  downward  to  the  earth  ?  And  so  I  saw  that  there 
is  nothing  better  than  that  a  man  should  rejoice  in  his 
labors  ;  for  that  is  his  portion.  For  who  shall  bring  him 
to  see  what  shall  be  after  him  ? 

1  Then  I  turned  and  saw  all  the  oppressions  which  take 
place  under  the  sun ;  and,  behold,  there  were  the  tears 
of  the  oppressed,  and  they  had  no  comforter ;  and  from 
the  hand  of  their  oppressors  there  was  violence,  and  they 

2  had  no  comforter.  Therefore  I  praised  the  dead,  who 
have  been  long  ago  dead,  more  than  the  living,  who  are 

3  yet  alive.  Yea,  better  than  both  of  them  is  he  who  hath 
not  yet  been,  who  hath  not  seen  the  evil  work  which  is 
done  under  the  sun. 

4  And  I  saw  all  labor,  and  all  success  in  work,  that  for 
this  a  man  is  envied  by  his  neighbor.     This  also  is  van- 

5  ity,  and  striving  after  wind.     The  fool  foldeth  his  hands 

6  together  and  eateth  his  own  flesh.  Better  is  a  hand  full 
of  quietness,  than  both  hands  full  of  weariness  and  striv- 
ing after  wind. 

7  Then  I   turned  and  saw  other  vanity  under   the   sun. 

8  There  is  one  who  is  alone,  and  no  one  with  him ;  yea,  he 
hath  neither  son  nor  brother  ;  yet  is  there  no  end  to  all  his 
labor,  and  his  eye  is  not  satisfied  with  riches.  "  For  whom, 
then  [saith  he],  do  I  labor  and  deprive  myself  of  good?" 

9  This  also  is  vanity ;  yea,  it  is  an  evil  thing !  Two  are 
better   than  one,  because   they  have   a  good  reward  for 

10  their  labor.  For  if  they  fall,  the  one  will  lift  his  fellow 
up  ;  but  woe  to  him  who  is  alone  when  he  falleth,  and  hath 

11  not  another  to  help  him  up !  Again,  if  two  lie  together, 
then  they  have  heat ;   but  how  can  one  be  warm  alone  ? 

12  And  if  an  enemy  prevail  against  one,  two  shall  withstand 
him ;  and  a  threefold  cord  is  not  quickly  broken. 

13  Better  is  a  child  poor  but  wise,  than  a  king  old  and 

14  foolish,  who  will  no  more  be  admonished.  For  out  of  prison 
cometli  forth  such  a  one  to  reign ;  for  in  his  own  kingdom 

15  he  was  born  a  poor  man.  I  saw  that  all  the  living,  who 
walk  under  the  sun,  were  with  tlie  child  who  stood  up  in 

16  his  stead.     There  was  no  end  to  all  the  people  before 

6* 


130  ECCLESIASTES.  [chap.  v. 

whom  he  went  forth ;  yet  they  that  come  afterwards  shall 
not  rejoice  in  him.  This  also  is  vanity,  and  striving  after 
wind. 

1  Look  well  to  thy  feet,  when  thou  goest  to  the  house  of 
God,  and  draw  nigh  to  hear,  rather  than  to  offer  sacrifice 

2  as  fools.  For  they  consider  not  that  they  do  evil.  Be 
not  hasty  with  thy  mouth,  and  let  not  thy  heart  be  swift 
to  utter  any  thing  before  God.  For  God  is  in  heaven, 
and  thou  upon  earth.     Therefore  let  thy  words  be  few. 

8  For  a  dream  cometh  with  much  bustle,  and  a  fool's  voice 
4  with  a  multitude  of  words.     When  thou  vowest  a  vow  to 

God,  delay  not  to  pay  it ;  for  he  hath  no  pleasure  in  fools. 
6  Pay  that  which  thou  hast  vowed.     Better  is  it  that  thou 

shouldst  not  vow  than  that  thou  shouldst  vow  and  not  pay. 

6  Sufier  not  thy  mouth  to  bring  punishment  on  thy  flesh,  and 
say  not  before  the  angel,  "  It  was  a  mistake."  Where- 
fore should   God  be  angry  on  account  of  thy  voice,  and 

7  destroy  the  work  of  thy  hands  ?  For  in  a  multitude  of 
dreams  is  a  multitude  of  vanities ;  so  also  in  a  multitude 
of  words  ;  but  fear  thou  God  ! 

8  If  thou  seest  oppression  of  the  poor,  and  justice  and 
equity  perverted  in  a  province,  be  not  alarmed  at  the  mat- 
ter.    For  over  the  high  there  is  a  higher,  who  watcheth, 

9  and  there  is  one  higher  than  they  all.     An  advantage  to  a 

10  land  in  all  respects  is  a  king  over  cultivated  ground.  He 
that  loveth  silver  shall  not  be  satisfied  with  silver  ;  and 
he   that  loveth  riches    shall    have    no   profit  from    them. 

11  This  also  is  vanity.  When  goods  increase,  they  are  in- 
creased that  eat  them  ;  and  what  advantage  hath  the  owner 

12  thereof,  save  the  beholding  of  them  with  his  eyes  ?  Sweet 
is  the  sleep  of  a  laboring  man,  whether  he  have  eaten  little 
or  much ;  but  the  repletion  of  the  rich  will  not  suffer  him 

13  to  sleep.    There  is  a  sore  evil  which  I  have  seen  under  the 

14  sun,  —  riches  kept  by  the  owner  thereof  to  his  hurt.  For 
those  riches  perish  by  some  calamity,  and,  if  he  have  a 

15  son,  there  is  nothing  in  his  hand.  As  he  came  forth  from 
his  mother's  womb  naked,  so  shall  he  go  away  again,  as 
he  came,  and  shall  take  away  nothing  of  his  labor  which 

16  he  may  carry  in  his  hand.  This  is  also  a  sore  evil,  that, 
in  all  points  as  he  came,  so  shall  he  go.     And  what  profit 


CHAP.  VI.]  ECCLESIASTES.  131 

17  is  there  to  him  who  toileth  for  wind  ?  Also  all  his  days 
he  ate  in  darkness,  and  had  much  grief  and  anxiety  and 

18  vexation.  Behold,  what  I  have  seen  is,  that  it  is  good  and 
proper  for  one  to  eat  and  drink,  and  to  enjoy  the  good  of 
all  his  labor  which  he  taketh  under  the  sun  all  the  days 

19  of  his  life,  which  God  giveth  him  ;  for  it  is  his  portion.  To 
whatever  man  also  God  hath  given  riches  and  wealth,  and 
hath  given  him  to  enjoy  them,  and  to  take  his  portion,  and 

20  to  rejoice  in  his  labor ;  this  is  the  gift  of  God.  For  he 
will  not  much  remember  the  days  of  his  life ;  for  God 
answereth  him  w^ith  the  joy  of  his  heart. 

1  There  is  an  evil  which  I  have  seen  under  the  sun,  and 

2  it  lieth  heavy  upon  men  ;  a  man  to  whom  God  hath  given 
riches,  wealth,  and  honor,  and  nothing  is  wanting  to  him 
of  all  which  he  desireth,  yet  God  giveth  him  not  to  taste 
thereof;  but  a  stranger  enjoyeth  it.     This  is  vanity,  yea, 

3  a  grievous  evil.  Though  a  man  have  a  hundred  children, 
and  live  many  years,  and  though  the  days  of  his  years  be 
many,  if  his  soul  be  not  satisfied  with  good,  and  he  have 
no  burial,  I  say  that  an  untimely  birth  is  better  than  he. 

4  This,  indeed,  cometh  in  nothingness,  and  goeth  down  into 

5  darkness,  and  its  name  is  covered  with  darkness  ;  it  hath  not 
seen  the  sun,  nor  known  it ;  yet  hath  it  rest  rather  than 

6  the  other.  Yea,  though  he  live  a  thousand  years  twice 
told,  and  see  no  good,  —  do  not  all  go  to  one  place  ? 

7  All  the  labor  of  man  is  for  his  mouth,  and  yet  his  de- 

8  sires  are  not  satisfied.  For  what  advantage  hath  the  wise 
man  over  the  fool  ?     What  advantage  hath  the  poor,  who 

9  knoweth  how  to  walk  before  the  living?  Better  is  the 
sight  of  the  eyes  than  the  wandering  of  the  desire.  This 
also  is  vanity,  and  striving  after  wind. 

10  That  which  is  was  long  ago  called  by  name ;  and  it  was 
known  that  he  is  a  man,  and  that  he  cannot  contend  with 

11  Him  who  is  mightier  than  he.  Seeing  there  are  many 
things  which  increase  vanity,  what  advantage  hath  man 

12  [from  them]  ?  For  who  knoweth  what  is  good  for  man  in 
life,  in  all  the  days  of  his  vain  life,  which  he  spendeth  as  a 
shadow  ?  For  who  can  tell  a  man  what  shall  be  after  him 
under  the  sun  ? 


132  ECCLESIASTES.  [chap.  vn. 

1  A  good  name  is  better  than  precious  perfume,  and  the 

2  day  of  one's  death  than  the  day  of  his  birth.  It  is  better 
to  go  to  the  house  of  mourning  than  to  go  to  the  house  of 
feasting ;   for  that  is  the  end  of  all  men  ;   and  the  living 

3  will  lay  it  to  heart.  Sorrow  is  better  than  laughter  ;  for 
by  the  sadness  of  the  countenance  the  heart  is  made  better. 

4  The  heart  of  the  wise  is  in  the  house  of  mourning ;  but 
6  the  heart  of  fools  is  in  the  house  of  mirth.     It  is  better 

for  a  man  to  hear  the  rebijke  of  the  wise  than  to  hear  the 

6  song  of  fools.     For  as  the  crackling  of  thorns  under  a  pot, 

7  so  is  the  laughter  of  a  fool.  This  also  is  vanity.  Surely 
the  gain   of  oppression  maketh  a  wise  man  foolish,  and 

8  a  gift  corrupteth  the  understanding.  Better  is  the  end  of  a 
thing  than  its  beginning.    Better  is  the  patient  in  spirit  than 

9  the  proud  in  spirit.    Be  not  hasty  in  thy  spirit  to  be  angry ; 

10  for  anger  resteth  in  the  bosom  of  fools.  Say  not,  "  What 
is  the  cause  that  the  former  days  were  better  than  these  ?  " 

11  For  thou  dost  not  inquire  wisely  concerning  this.  Wisdom 
is  as  good  as  an  estate  ?  yea,  it  hath  an  advantage  over  it 

12  for  them  that  see  the  sun.  For  wisdom  is  a  defence,  and 
money  is  a  defence.     But  knowledge  hath  the  advantage. 

13  For  wisdom  giveth  life  to  them  that  have  it.  Consider 
the  w^ork  of  God !     Who  can  make  straight  that  which 

14  he  hath  made  crooked  ?  In  the  day  of  prosperity  be  joy- 
ful ;  but  look  for  a  day  of  adversity  !  for  this  also,  as  well 
as  the  other,  hath  God  appointed,  to  the  end  that  a  man 
should  not  find  out  any  thing  which  shall  be  after  him. 

15  All  this  have  I  seen  in  my  days  of  vanity.  There  are 
righteous  men  who  perish  in  their  righteousness,  and  there 

16  are  wicked  men  who  live  long  in  their  wickedness.  Be 
not  righteous  overmuch  ;  neither  make  thyself  over-wise ! 

17  Why  shouldst  thou  destroy  thyself?  Be  not  overmuch 
wicked ;  neither  be  thou  a  fool !     Why  shouldst  thou  die 

18  before  thy  time  ?  It  is  good  that  thou  shouldst  take  hold 
of  this  ;  yea,  also,  from  that  withdraw  not  thy  hand.     For 

19  he  that  feareth  God  shall  escape  all  those  things.  Wis- 
dom strengtheneth  the  wise  more  than   ten  mighty  men 

20  who  are  in  the  city.     Truly  there  is  not  a  righteous  man 

21  upon  the  earth  who  doeth  good  and  sinneth  not.  Give  no 
heed  to  all  the  words  which  are  spoken,  lest  thou  hear  thy 

22  servant  curse  thee!      For  many  times  thine  own  heart 


CHAP,  yiii.]  ECCLESIASTES.  133 

knoweth  also  that  even  thou  thyself  hast  cursed  others. 

23  All  this  have  I  tried   by  wisdom.      I  said,   "  I  will    be 

24  wise ; "  but  it  was  far  from  me.  That  which  is  far  oif 
and  exceeding  deep,  who  can  find  it  out? 

25  I  applied  my  mind  earnestly  to  know,  and  to  search, 
and  to  seek  out  wisdom  and  intelligence,  and   to  know 

26  wickedness  and  folly,  yea,  foolishness  and  madness.  And 
I  found  more  bitter  than  death  the  woman  whose  heart  is 
snares  and  nets,  and  her  hands  bands.  He  that  pleaseth 
God  shall  escape  from  her ;  but  -the  sinner  shall  be  caught 

27  by  her.     Behold,  this  have  I  found,  saith  the  Preacher, 

28  putting  one  thing  to  another  to  find  knowledge.  That 
which  my  soul  hath  hitherto  sought,  and  I  have  not  found, 
is  this :    a  man  among  a  thousand  I  have  found,  but  a 

29  woman  among  a  thousand  have  I  not  found.  Lo,  this  only 
have  I  found,  that  God  made  man  upright,  but  they  have 
sought  out  many  devices. 

1  Who  is  like  the  wise  man,  and  who  knoweth  the  expla- 
nation of  a  thing?  A  man's  wisdom  brighteneth  his 
countenance,  and   the   harshness  of  his   face   is  changed. 

2  I  counsel  thee  to  keep  the  king's  commandment,  and  that 

3  on  account  of  the  oath  of  God.  Be  not  in  haste  to  depart 
from  his  presence ;  persist  not  in  an  evil  thing ;  for  what- 

4  ever  pleaseth  him,  that  he  doeth.  For  the  word  of  the 
king  is  powerful ;  and  who  can  say  to  him,  "  What  doest 

5  thou  ?  "  He  that  keei)eth  the  commandment  shall  experi- 
ence no  evil ;  and  the  heart  of  the  wise  man  hath  regard 

6  to  time  and  judgment.  For  to  every  thing  there  is  a  time 
and  judgment.     For  the  misery  of  man  is  great  upon  him. 

7  For  no  one  knoweth  what  shall  be ;  for  who  can  tell  him 

8  how  it  shall  be  ?  No  man  hath  power  over  the  spirit  to 
retain  the  spirit,  and  no  man  hath  power  over  the  day  of 
death  ;  and  there  is  no  discharge  in  that  war  ;  and  wicked- 
ness shall  not  deliver  those  that  are  guilty  of  it. 

9  All  this  have  I  seen,  and  I  have  given  heed  to  all  things 
that  are  done  under  the  sun.     There  is  a  time  when  man 

10  ruleth  over  man  to  his  hurt.  And  so  I  saw  the  wicked 
buried,  while  the  righteous  came  and  went  from  the  holy 
place,  and  were  forgotten  in  the  city.  This  also  is  van- 
ity. 

11  Because  sentence  against  an  evil  work  is  not  executed 


134  ECCLESIASTES.  [chap.  ix. 

speedily,  therefore  doth  the  heart  of  the  sons  of  men  be- 

12  come  bold  within  them  to  do  evil.  But  though  a  sinner 
do  evil  a  hundred  times,  and  have  his  days  prolonged,  yet 
surely  I  know  that  it  shall  be  well  with  them  that  fear 

13  God,  that  fear  before  him.  But  it  shall  not  be  well  with 
the  wicked :  he  shall  be  like  a  shadow,  and  shall  not  pro- 
long his  days,  because  he  feareth  not  before  God. 

14  There  is  a  vanity  which  taketh  place  upon  the  earth, 
that  there  are  righteous  men  to  whom  it  happeneth  ac- 
cording to  the  work  of  the  wicked,  and  that  there  are 
wicked  men  to  whom  it  happeneth  according  to  the  work 

15  of  the  righteous.  I  said,  "  This  also  is  vanity  ! "  Then 
I  commended  joy ;  because  nothing  is  good  for  a  man 
under  the  sun,  except  to  eat  and  to  drink  and  to  be  joy- 
ful ;  for  it  is  this  that  abideth  with  him  for  his  labor 
during  the  days  of  his  life  which  God  giveth  him  under 
the  sun. 

16  When  I  applied  my  mind  to  know  wisdom,  and  to  see 
the  business  which  is  done  upon  the   earth,  —  that  one 

17  seeth  no  sleep  with  his  eyes  by  day  or  by  ni^Lt,  —  then  I 
saw  the  whole  work  of  God,  that  a  man  ca'JLiot  compre- 
hend that  which  is  done  under  the  sun ;  ho\/  much  soever 
he  labor  to  search  it  out,  yet  shall  he  not  comprehend  it; 
yea,  though  a  wise  man  resolve  to  know  it,  yet  shall  he 
not  be  able  to  comprehend  it. 

1  For  I  gave  my  mind  to  all  this,  even  to  search  oul  all 
this,  that  the  righteous  and  the  wise  and  their  works  are 
in  the  hand  of  God,  and  yet  neither  his  love  nor  hatred 

2  doth  any  man  know.  All  is  before  them.  All  [cometh  to 
them]  as  to  all.  There  is  one  event  to  the  righteous  and  to 
the  wicked ;  to  the  good,  to  the  clean,  and  to  the  unclean ; 
to  him  that  sacrificeth,  and  to  him  that  sacrificeth  not ;  as 
is  the  good,  so  is  the  sinner ;  he  that  sweareth,  as  he  that 

3  feareth  an  oath.  This  is  an  evil  among  all  things  which 
take  place  under  the  sun,  that  there  is  one  event  to  all ; 
therefore  also  the  heart  of  the  sons  of  men  is  full  of  evil, 
and  madness  is  in  their  heart  while  they  live,  and  after- 

4  ward  they  go  down  to  the  dead.  For  who  in  there  that  is 
excepted  ?     With  all  the  living  there  is  hope  ;  for  a.  living 

6  dog  is  better  than  a  dead  lion.     For  the  living  know  that 


CHAP.  X.]  ECCLESIASTES.  135 

they  shall  die ;   but  the  dead  know  not  any  thing,  and 
there  is  no  more  to  them  any  advantage,  for  their  memory 

6  is  forgotten.  Their  love  also,  and  their  hatred,  and  their 
envy,  is  now  perished ;  neither  have  they  a  portion  any 
more  for  ever  in  any  thing  which  taketh  place  under  the 
sun. 

7  Go  thy  way,  eat  thy  bread  with  joy,  and  drink  thy  wine 
with   a  cheerful   heart ;    for  long  since    hath    God    been 

8  pleased  with  thy  works.  Let  thy  garments  be  always 
white,  and  let  not  fragrant  oil  be  wanting  upon  thy  head. 

9  Enjoy  life  with  the  wife  whom  thou  lovest,  all  the  days 
of  thy  vain  life  which  he  hath  given  thee  under  the  sun, 
all  thy  vain  days.  For  this  is  thy  portion  in  life,  and  in 
thy  labor  with  which  thou  weariest  thyself  under  the  sun. 

10  Whatever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy  might ! 
For  there  is  no  work  nor  device  nor  knowledge  nor  wis- 
dom in  the  under-world,  whither  thou  goest. 

11  I  turned  and  saw  under  the  sun,  that  the  race  is  not  to 
the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong,  nor  yet  bread  to  the 
wise,  nor  riches  to  men  of  understanding,  nor  favor  to  men 
of  knowledge ;  but  time  and  chance  happen  to  them  all. 

12  For  man  knoweth  not  his  time.  As  fishes  that  are  taken 
in  a  destructive  net,  and  as  birds  that  are  caught  in  a 
snare,  so  are  the  sons  of  men  snared  in  a  time  of  distress, 
when  it  falleth  suddenly  upon  them. 

13  This  also  have  I  seen ;  even  wisdom  under  the  sun,  and 

14  it  seemed  great  to  me.  There  was  a  little  city,  and  few 
men  within   it ;    and  a  great  king  came  against  it,   and 

15  besieged  it,  and  built  great  bulwarks  against  it.  Now 
there  was  found  within  it  a  wise  poor  man ;  and  he,  by 
his  wisdom,  delivered  the  city ;  yet  no  man  remembered 

16  that  same  poor  man.     Then  said  I,  "  Wisdom  is  better 
.  than  strength ; "   and  yet  the  poor  man's  wisdom  is  des- 

17  pised,  and  his  words  are  not  heard.  The  quiet  words  of 
the  wise  are  sooner  heard  than  the  shouting  of  a  foolish 

18  ruler.     Wisdom  is  better  than  weapons  of  war.     But  one 

1  offender  destroy eth  much  good.  Dead  flies  make  the  oil 
of  the  perfumer  loathsome  and  corrupt ;  thus  doth  a  little 

2  folly  weigh  down  wisdom  and  honor.     A  wise  man's  mind 

3  is  at  his  right  hand ;  but  a  fool's  mind  is  at  his  left.     Yea, 


136  ECCLESIASTES.  [chap.  xr. 

even  when  the  fool  walketh  in  the  way,  his  understanding 
faileth  him,  and  he  saith  to  every  one  that  he  is  a  fool. 

4  If  the  anger  of  a  ruler  rise  up  against  thee,  leave  not 

5  thy  place  !  for  gentleness  pacifieth  great  offences.     There 
is  an  evil  which  I  have   seen  under  the  sun ;   an  error 

6  which  proceedeth  from  a  ruler.     Folly  is  set  in  many  high 

7  stations,  and  the  noble  sit  in  a  low  place.     I  have  seen 
servants  upon  horses,  and  princes  walking  as  servants  on 

8  foot.     He  that  diggeth  a  pit  shall  fall  into  it ;  and  whoso 

9  breaketh  down  a  wall,  a  serpent  shall  bite  him.     Whoso 
removeth    stones    shall    be   hurt  therewith,  and   he    that 

10  cleaveth  wood  shall  be  endangered  thereby.  If  the  iron 
be  blunt,  and  one  do  not  whet  the  edge,  then  must  he  put 
forth  more  strength;  but  an  advantage  for  giving  success 

11  hath  wisdom.    If  a  serpent  bite  before  he  is  charmed,  then 

12  there  is  no  advantage  to  the  charmer.  The  words  of  a 
wise  man's  mouth  are  gracious ;  but  the  lips  of  a  fool  are 

13  his  destruction.  The  beginning  of  the  words  of  his  mouth 
is  folly,  and  the  end  of  his  talk  is  mischievous  madness. 

14  A  fool  also  multiplieth  words,  though  no  man  knoweth 
what  shall  be ;  and  who  can  tell  him  what  shall  be  after 

15  him  ?     The  labor  of  the  foolish  man  wearieth  him,  because 

16  he  knoweth  not  how  to  go  to  the  city.  Woe  to  thee,  O 
land,  when  thy  king  is  a  child,  and  thy  princes  feast  in  the 

17  morning !  Happy  thou,  O  land,  when  thy  king  is  a  noble, 
and  thy  princes  eat  in  due  season,  for  strength,  and  not  for 

18  drunkenness !  By  much  slothfulness  the  building  decay- 
eth  ;  and  by  the  slackness  of  the  hands  the  house  leaketh. 

19  A  feast  is  made  for  laughter,  and  w^ine  makes  merry ;  but 

20  money  answereth  all  things.  Curse  not  the  king ;  no,  not 
in  thy  thought;  and  curse  not  the  rich  in  thy  bed-chamber! 
for  a  bird  of  the  air  shall  carry  the  voice ;  and  that  which 
hath  wings  shall  tell  the  matter. 

1  Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters ;   for  after  many  days 

2  thou  shalt  lind  it.  Give  a  portion  to  seven,  yea,  to  eight ; 
for  thou  knowest  not  what  evil  shall  be  upon  the  earth. 

3  When  the  clouds  are  full  of  rain,  they  empty  upon  the 
earth  ;  and  when  a  tree  faileth  to  the  south  or  the  north, 

4  in  the  place  where  the  tree  faileth,  there  it  shall  be.  He 
that  watcheth  the  wind  will  not  sow,  and  he  that  gazeth 

5  upon  the  clouds  will  not  reap.     As  thou  knowest  not  the 


CHAP,  xii]  ECCLESIASTES.  137 

way  of  the  wind,  nor  how  the  bones  are  formed  in  the 
womb  of  her  that  is  with  chihJ,  so  thou  canst  not  know 

6  the  work  of  God,  who  doeth  all  things.  In  the  morning 
sow  thy  seed,  and  in  the  evening  withhold  not  thy  hand ! 
For  thou  knowest  not  whether  this  shall  prosper,  or  that, 
or  whether  both  of  them  shall  be  alike  good. 

7  Truly  the  light  is  sweet,  and  a  pleasant  thing  it  is  for 

8  the  eyes  to  behold  the  sun.  Yea,  though  a  man  live  many 
years,  let  him  rejoice  in  them  all,  and  let  him  think  of 
the  days  of  darkness  ;  for  they  shall  be  many.     All  that 

9  Cometh  is  vanity.  Rejoice,  O  young  man,  in  thy  youth, 
and  let  thy  heart  cheer  thee  in  the  days  of  thy  youth,  and 
walk  in  the  ways  of  thy  heart,  and  in  the  sight  of  thine 
eyes  !   but  know  thou,  that  for  all  these  things  God  will 

10  bring  thee  into  judgment.  Therefore  remove  sorrow  from 
thy  heart,  and  put  away  evil  from  thy  body !  for  childhood 
and  youth  are  vanity. 

1  Remember,  also,  thy  Creator  in  the  days  of  thy  youth, 
before  the  evil  days  come,  and  the  years  draw  nigh,  of 
which  thou   shalt  say,  "  I  have  no   pleasure  in  them ; " 

2  before  the  sun,  and  the  light,  and  the  moon,  and  the  stars 

3  become  dark,  and  the  clouds  return  after  the  rain  ;  at  the 
time  when  the  keepers  of  the  house  tremble,  and  the 
strong  men  bow  themselves,  and  the  grinders  cease  be- 
cause they  are  few,  and  those  that  look  out  of  the  windows 

4  are  darkened ;  when  the  doors  are  shut  in  the  streets, 
while  the  sound  of  the  mill  is  low ;  when  they  rise  up  at 
the  voice  of  the  bird,  and  all  the  daughters  of  music  are 

5  brought  low ;  when  also  they  are  afraid  of  that  which  is 
high,  and  terrors  are  in  the  way,  and  the  almond  is  des- 
pised, and  the  locust  is  a  burden,  and  the  caper-berry  is 
powerless ;  since  man  goeth  to  his  eternal  home,  and  the 

6  mourners  go  about  the  streets ;  —  before  the  silver  cord 
be  snapped  asunder,  and  the  golden  bowl  be  crushed,  or 
the  bucket  broken  at  the  fountain,  or  the  wheel  shattered 

7  at  the  well,  and  the  dust  return  to  the  earth  as  it  was,  and 
the  spirit  return  to  God  who  gave  it. 

8  Vanity  of  vanities,  saith  the  Preacher ;  all  is  vanity  ! 

9  Moreover,  because  the  Preacher  was  wise,  he  still 
taught   the   people  knowledge ;   yea,  he  considered,  and 

10  sought    out,    and    set    in    order,    many    proverbs.      The 


138  ECCLESIASTES.  [tHAp.  xii. 

Preacher  sought  to  find  out  acceptable  words,  and  to  write 

11  correctly  words  of  truth.  The  words  of  the  wise  are 
as  goads ;  yea,  as  nails  driven  in  are  the  words  of  niem- 

12  bers  of  assemblies,  given  by  one  shepherd.  And,  more- 
over, by  these,  my  son,  be  warned !  To  the  multiplying 
of  books  there  is  no  end,  and  much  study  wearieth  the 

13  flesh.  Let  us  hear  the  end  of  the  whole  discourse  !  Fear 
God  and  keep  his  commandments !     For  this  is  the  duty 

14  of  every  man.  For  God  will  bring  every  work  into  the 
judgment  which  there  is  upon  every  secret  thing,  whether 
it  be  good,  or  whether  it  be  evil. 


THE   CANTICLES, 


OB 


THE    SONG    OF    SONGS, 


BY   SOLOMON. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE   CANTICLES. 


The  title  of  this  book  could  not  have  been  prefixed  to  it  by  its 
author.  The  Song  of  Songs  is  undoubtedly  an  instance  of  the 
Hebrew  superlative,  meaning  the  finest  or  most  beautiful  of  songs. 
It  is,  moreover,  improbable  that  the  title  implies  a  comparison  of 
the  work  with  other  poetry  written  by  Solomon.  The  meaning 
of  the  person  who  gave  the  book  its  title  was,  that  it  contained 
the  most  beautiful  of  songs,  and  that  Solomon  was  its  author. 

The  first  and  most  interesting  question  that  presents  itself  in 
relation  to  this  work  is,  What  is  its  subject.*^  If  the  Song  of 
Songs  had  been  found  in  any  book  except  the  Bible,  I  presume 
there  would  have  been  great  unanimity  in  answering  the  question. 
It  would  be  said  that  few  compositions  existed,  every  line  of  which 
revealed  so  fully  the  subject  occupying  the  mind  of  the  author. 
It  would  be  said  that  one  sentiment  pervaded  the  whole,  and 
that  that  sentiment  was  love.  In  fact,  there  is  now  no  dispute 
respecting  the  subject  of  the  book,  so  far  as  it  can  be  expressed 
in  a  single  word.  It  is  allowed  by  all  to  be  love,  reciprocal  love. 
The  question  is.  What  kind  of  love  is  here  represented  ?  Is  it 
spiritual,  or  is  it  sentimental  love ;  that  is,  the  love  of  the  sexes, 
as  represented  in  poetry  ?  Is  it  that  love  which  exists  between 
God  and  man,  or  Christ  and  the  Church ;  or  that  which  exists 
between  man  and  woman  ? 

Since  the  time  of  Origen,  the  opinion  has  prevailed,  that  the 
work  is  designed  to  set  forth  the  mutual  love  of  Christ  and  the 
Church.  This  distinguished  allegorist  exerted  liis  great  talents, 
as  we  are  informed  by  St.  Jerome,*  in  illustrating  the  book.  In 
his  other  works,  says  he,  Origen  surpassed  other  men ;  in  this  he 

*  Opera,  torn.  ii.  p.  807,  edit.  Martianay. 

[141] 


142  INTRODUCTION    TO 

surpassed  himself;  so  that  in  him  may  seem  to  have  been  fulfilled 
that  which  is  said,  "  The  king  has  led  me  to  his  chamber."  The 
unbounded  influence  of  Origen  gave  the  allegorical  interpretation 
prevalence  in  the  Church  ;  so  that,  when  Theodore  of  Mopsuestia, 
a  man  of  great  learning  and  talent,  defended  the  literal  sense  of 
the  Canticles,  he  was  excommunicated  for  this  and  other  causes 
after  his  death,  by  an  assembly  of  fanatical  bishops  and  monks, 
the  second  council  of  Constantinople,  in  the  year  553.* 

Since  the  time  of  the  condemnation  of  Theodore,  the  prevalent 
belief  of  Christendom  has  been,  that  the  book  contains  a  repre- 
sentation of  the  mutual  love  of  Christ  and  the  Church.  This 
would  seem  to  be  the  most  general  view  at  the  present  day,  if 
we  may  judge  of  the  opinion  of  the  Christian  Church  by  what  is 
expressed  in  the  popular  commentaries.  It  is  contained  in  the 
captions  to  the  chapters  in  the  common  version. 

Among  the  modern  Jews,  too,  the  allegorical  sense  of  the  book 
has  prevailed,  according  to  which  it  has  been  supposed  to  set 
forth  the  dealings  of  God  with  the  Jewish  people.  Thus,  the 
Targumist  on  this  book  applies  it  to  Jehovah  and  the  Jewish 
nation,  in  their  journeyings  from  Egypt  to  the  land  of  Canaan, 

As  the  mystical  interpretation  of  this  book  commenced  and 
advanced  with  the  general  prevalence  and  progress  of  the  alle- 
gorical mode  of  interpretation,  so  it  has  declined  in  proportion  as 
that  mode  of  interpretation  has  been  understood  to  be  without 
foundation.  Since  the  time  of  Grotius,  the  prevailing  opinion  of 
the  learned  critics  who  have  examined  the  work  has  been,  that  the 
subject  of  it  is  not  spiritual  or  religious  love,  but'  that  which 
exists  between  man  and  woman. 

The  peculiar  view  of  Grotius  has  found  few  supporters.  He 
supposes  the  book  to  contain  a  dialogue  between  newly  married 
persons,  in  which  very  gross  ideas  are  veiled  by  decent  expres- 
sions.!    But  since  his  time,  — that  is,  since  the  principle  of  inter- 

*  See  Rosenraiilleri  Historia  Interpretationis,  vol.  iii.  pp.  251  and  262. 

t  "Est  oapiOTvg  (i.e.  garritus  conjugum  inter  se)  inter  Snlomonem  et 
filiam  regis  Egypti,  interloquentibus  etiam  choris  duobus,  turn  juvenum  turn 
virginum,  qui  in  proximis  thalamo  locis  excubabant.  Nuptiarum  arcana 
sub  honestis  verborum  invohicris  hie  latent;  qute  etiam  cau.'a  est  cur  Hebraei 
veteres  hunc  librum  legi  nolueriut,  nisi  a  jam  conjugio  proximis." 


THE    CANTICLES.  143 

pretatlon  has  been  generally  acknowledged,  that  language  can 
have  no  other  meaning  than  that  which  exists  in  the  mind  of  the 
writer, — the  mystical  sense  has  been  given  up  by  most  critics  on 
the  Continent,  and  by  many  in  England ;  such  as  Michaelis,  Her- 
der, li^iclihorn,  Doderlein,  Dathe,  Seiler,  Jahn,  De  Wette,  Um- 
breit,  Ewald,  Heiligstedt,  Hitzig,  and  many  others.  In  England, 
the  distinguished  Methodist,  Adam  Clarke ;  the  Calvinistic  dis- 
senter, John  Pye  Smith ;  and  the  Biblical  translator.  Dr.  Booth- 
royd,  who  is  also  an  Orthodox  dissenter,  —  have  also  abandoned 
the  mystical  explanation. 

There  are  those,  however,  in  modern  times,  who  yet  hold  fast 
the  allegorical  interpretation.  Among  these  is  the  Romanist 
Hug,  who  supposes  the  book  to  be  of  a  political  nature.  Under 
the  image  of  a  spouse,  as  he  thinks,  is  set  forth  a  part  of  the  ten 
tribes,  which,  being  left  in  their  country  after  the  destruction  of 
Samaria,  sought  to  be  re-united  to  the  Jewish  nation  under  the 
reign  of  Hezekiah.  The  Jews,  represented  by  the  brothers  of 
the  Shulamite,  are  unwilling  that  the  union  should  take  place. 

Rosenmiiller  adopts  the  theory,  that  the  work  sets  forth  the 
love  of  Solomon  for  wisdom.  It  is  not  a  little  remarkable, 
however,  that  while  Rosenmiiller  avows  this  to  be  his  view  in 
the  introduction  to  his  commentary  on  the  book,  he  makes  not 
the  slightest  allusion  to  it  in  the  commentary  itself,  extensive  as 
it  is. 

In  England,  Bishop  Percy  and  John  Mason  Good  avow  their 
belief  in  the  mystical  interpretation.  Like  Rosenmiiller,  however, 
they  do  not  apply  their  theory  to  the  interpretation  of  the  book, 
but  comment  upon  it  as  if  the  literal  were  the  only  sense. 

In  this  country,  the  old  notion,  that  the  book  sets  forth  the 
mutual  love  of  Christ  and  the  Church,  is  probably  the  most  preva- 
lent. But  Professor  Robinson,  in  his  Bible  Dictionary,  adopts 
the  view,  that  the  subject  of  the  book  is  the  mutual  love  of  Jeho- 
vah and  the  Jewish  nation.  • 

Professor  Stuart,  of  Andover,  has  also  avowed  his  faith  in  the 
mystical  exposition  of  the  Canticles,  in  his  hasty  work  on  the 
canon  of  the  Old  Testament.  He  has  adopted  the  view,  that 
the  subject  of  the  book  is  the  relation  of  God  to  the  individual 
soul,  and  the  aspirations  of  the  soul  to  be  united  to  the  Creator. 


144  INTRODUCTION    TO 

I  mio-ht  mention  several  other  theories.  But  it  would  answer 
no  good  purpose,  as  I  do  not  intend  to  examine  them  one  by  one, 
in  order  to  show  which  is  the  most,  or  the  least,  tenable.  I 
believe  that  there  is  not  the  slightest  foundation  for  any  one  of 
them ;  that  not  one  of  them  can  be  accepted,  without  setting  at 
defiance  all  just  views  of  the  nature  of  language,  and  all  solid 
principles  of  interpretation. 

The  decisive  objection,  which  applies  in  nearly  an  equal  degree 
to  all  these  theories,  is,  that  there  is  no  mention,  or  even  intima- 
tion, in  the  work  itself,  of  that  which  they  make  its  great  and 
principal  subject.  These  interpreters  tell  us,  that  the  work  ex- 
presses the  mutual  love  of  Jehovah  and  the  Hebrew  nation,  or  of 
Christ  and  the  Church,  or  of  God  and  the  individual  soul.  In 
opposition  to  this,  it  is  enough  to  say,  that  it  is  mere  fancy ;  that 
there  is  not  the  slightest  allusion  to  God,  to  Christ,  to  the  Church, 
or  to  the  soul  of  man  as  related  to  God,  in  the  whole  book.  The 
only  persons  introduced  into  it  are  human.  There  is  not  a  sen- 
tence, or  part  of  a  sentence,  which,  according  to  the  common  use 
of  language,  expresses  any  religious  idea.  This  with  me  is  the 
decisive  consideration.  The  autlior  has  in  no  way  indicated  that 
he  uses  language  in  any  but  the  obvious  and  usual  sense.  In  all 
allegory,  it  is  necessary  that  the  principal  subject  should  be  in 
some  way  indicated.  If  allegory  is  a  long-continued  comparison, 
it  is  necessary  that  the  author  should  decidedly  make  known  to 
us  the  subject  compared.  But  in  the  Book  of  Canticles  this  is 
not  the  case.  The  principal  subject,  as  understood  by  the  alle- 
gorists,  does  not  appear  in  it.  The  book  is  all  comparison,  and 
nothing  to  be  compared ;  all  illustration,  and  nothing  to  be  illus- 
trated. The  thing  to  be  illustrated  comes  from  without,  —  from 
the  mind  of  the  interpreter,  arbitrarily  imposing  a  sense  on  the 
author's  words  in  consequence  of  some  imagined  necessity,  which 
IS  wholly  independent  of  any  thing  in  the  work  itself.  In  the 
parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son,  who  would  have  known  that  it  was 
intended  to  illustrate  the  disposition  of  God  towards  men,  unless 
our  Saviour  had  indicated  such  an  application  of  it  ?  So  in  the 
allegory  of  the  Vine  which  came  out  of  Egj-pt,  it  is  expressly 
stated,  "  The  vineyard  of  the  Lord  of  hosts  is  the  house  of 
Israel."     So  every  writer  of  common  sense,  who  makes  use  of 


THE    CANTICLES.  145 

metaphor,  comparison,  or  allegory,  will  in  some  way  indicate  the 
principal  subject  to  be  illustrated.  But  it  is  not  pretended  that 
the  author  of  the  Canticles  has  done  this.  The  only  just  conclu- 
sion, then,  is,  that  he  has  not  made  use  of  allegory ;  that  he  de- 
signed his  language  to  be  understood  in  its  common  and  obvious 
sense. 

It  has  been  said,  in  favor  of  the  mystical  interpretation,  that  in 
other  writers  of  the  Scriptures  language  similar  to  that  in  the  Can- 
ticles is  used ;  that  Jehovah  is  called  the  husband  of  his  people, 
and  the  people  represented  as  a  faithless  wife.  Now,  without 
stating  at  present  how  small  is  the  resemblance  between  the 
Canticles  and  the  comparisons  just  referred  to,  there  is  one 
obvious  difference  which  deprives  this  reference  to  such  com- 
parisons of  any  force  as  an  argument.  It  is,  that  the  subject 
compared  is  always  prominent  in  those  illustrations  of  the  He- 
brew prophets.  Thus,  in  Isa.  liv.  5,  "Thy  Maker  is  thy  husband  ; 
Jehovah  of  hosts  is  his  name."  Such  illustrations,  therefore,  if 
they  resembled  the  language  in  the  Canticles  much  more  than  they 
do,  would  only  show  how  its  language  might  have  been,  not  how  it 
is,  used.  Because  an  adulterous  woman,  in  the  writings  of  the 
prophets,  represents  the  Jewish  people  in  their  rebellion  against 
Jehovah,  it  surely  does  not  follow  that  every  woman  or  maiden  in 
the  Scriptures  does,  or  may,  denote  the  Jewish  people.  Because  a 
tender  husband  sometimes  denotes  a  compassionate  God  in  rela- 
tion to  his  people,  it  surely  does  not  follow  that  every  husband  or 
lover  in  the  Scriptures  denotes  the  Supreme  Being.  Because  the 
Church  is  compared  to  a  chaste  virgin,  it  does  not  follow  that 
every  virgin  denotes  the  Church.  Before  we  can  admit  that  any 
writer  intends  to  denote  the  Supreme  Being  by  such  expressions,  he 
must  himself  indicate  it  by  express  declaration  or  intelligible  impli- 
cation, as  the  prophets  have  done  in  the  cases  to  which  reference 
has  been  made.  Now,  the  author  of  the  Canticles  has  not  inti- 
mated to  us  in  any  way,  that  in  his  songs  he  had  in  view  any 
other  characters  than  man  and  woman,  or  any  other  kind  of  love 
than  human  or  sentimental  love.  We  have  no  right,  then,  to  go 
beyond  this  meaning.  Those  who  have  adduced  this  illustration 
from  the  prophets  have  at  best  only  shown  what  might  be,  not 
what  is.     There  is  no  part  of  the  Old  Testament,  or  at  least  no 

7 


146  INTRODUCTION    TO 

difficult  part,  which  may  not  be  allegorized  with  as  much  reason 
as  the  Canticles, 

But,  in  the  second  place,  I  deny  that  the  language  of  the 
prophets,  in  the  cases  referred  to,  is  at  all  analogous  to  that 
of  the  Canticles.  Those  passages  in  the  prophets  which  set 
forth  the  ingratitude  of  the  house  of  Israel  to  Jehovah  under  the 
image  of  a  wife  faithless  to  a  tender  husband,  are  wholly  unlike 
any  thing  in  the  Book  of  Canticles.  In  the  former,  the  Supreme 
Being  always  appears  as  Jehovah,  the  most  holy  governor  of  the 
world,  the  comparison  being  used  incidentally  to  illustrate  his 
own  conduct  or  that  of  his  people.  In  the  latter,  we  find  only 
lovers  and  maidens ;  the  praise  of  personal  beauty  and  passionate 
expressions  of  love ;  lovers  conversing  with  each  other,  placed  in 
different  scenes,  eating,  drinking,  sleeping,  •  embracing,  running, 
climbing,  visiting  gardens,  feeding  flocks ;  in  fine,  all  that  is 
usually  found  in  erotic  poetry.  Who  can  fail  to  perceive  the 
difference  between  such  representations  and  any  views  which 
the  sublime  Hebrew  prophets  give  of  the  character  and  conduct 
of  God? 

It  seems  to  me  wholly  inconsistent  with  the  reverence  for 
Jehovah  which  existed  in  the  Hebrew  mind,  that  one  of  their 
writers  should  compose  such  a  book  as  Canticles  to  illustrate  the 
feelings  which  should  exist  between  man  and  his  Creator,  It  is  a 
monstrous  supposition.  There  is  nothing  in  the  Hebrew  literature 
to  justify  it.  Who  is  there  among  us  that  would  dare  to  use  much 
of  the  language  of  the  Canticles  in  reference  to  the  high  and  lofty 
One  that  inhabiteth  eternity?  Had  not  the  Jews  as  great  a 
reverence  for  the  venerable  name  as  Christians  ?  Let  us  conceive 
of  the  author  of  the  fortieth  chapter  of  Isaiah  —  after  he  had 
spoken  of  the  Supreme  Being  as  having  "measured  the  waters  in 
the  hollow  of  his  hand,  and  meted  out  the  heavens  with  his  span, 
and  gathered  the  dust  of  the  earth  into  a  measure,  and  weighed 
the  mountains  in  scales,  and  the  hills  in  a  balance,"  as  the  Being 
"before  whom  all  nations  are  nothing,  and  accounted  less  than 
nothing  and  vanity "  —  as  addressing  himself  to  his  devotions. 
Would  he  have  commenced  with,  "  Let  him  kiss  me  with  one  of 
the  kisses  of  his  mouth ;  for  thy  caresses  are  better  than  wine "  ? 
Would  he  have  applied  to  the  Supreme  Being  the  language,  "  My 


THE    CANTICLES.  147 

beloved  spake  and  said  unto  me,  'Rise  up,  my  love,  my  fair  one, 
and  come  away'  "?  Would  Solomon,  who,  in  his  prayer  at  the 
dedication  of  the  temple,  used  the  sublime  language,  "Behold, 
the  heaven,  even  the  heaven  of  heavens,  cannot  contain  thee," 
have  addressed  his  Creator  in  the  language,  "The  voice  of  my 
beloved  !  Behold,  he  cometh,  leaping  upon  the  mountains,  bound- 
ing over  the  hills.  Like  a  gazelle  is  my  beloved,  or  a  young 
hind,"  &c.  ?  I  might  proceed  with  interrogations  of  this  kind ; 
but  there  is  language  in  the  Canticles  which  I  could  not  apply  to 
the  Infinite  Spirit  in  the  manner  required  by  the  mystical  theory, 
without  feeling  guilty  of  blasphemy. 

In  support  of  the  mystical  interpretation  of  the  Canticles, 
reference  has  been  made  to  the  pantheistic  mysticism  of  the  reli- 
gious sect  called  Sufis,  which  has  long  existed  in  the  East,  and 
especially  to  the  songs  of  Hafiz,  a  Persian  writer  of  the  fourteenth 
century,  who  has  been  supposed  to  teach  mystic  religious  doc- 
trines under  the  images  of  love,  wine,  &c.  But  it  is  doubtful 
whether  Hafiz  himself  attached  a  religious  meaning  to  many  of 
his  songs.  It  is  certain,  that  most  of  them  relate  only  to  senti- 
mental love.  Umbreit,  who  appears  to  have  given  considerable 
attention  to  the  subject,  says,  "The  love-poems  of  Nisami, 
Leila  and  Medschnun,  and  Jussuf  and  Suleicha,  have  been  ex- 
plained allegorically,  although,  according  to  the  evident  intention 
of  the  poet,  they  require  a  literal  interpretation."*  Sir  William 
Jones  observes,  "It  has  been  made  a  question,  whether  the 
poems  of  Hafiz  must  be  taken  in  a  literal  or  in  a  figurative  sense ; 
but  the  question  does  not  admit  of  a  general  and  direct  answer : 
for  even  the  most  enthusiastic  of  his  commentators  allow  that 
some  of  them  are  to  be  taken  literally." f  The  "Conversations- 
Lexicon,"  or  "Encyclopaedia  Americana,"  which  may  be  supposed 
to  represent  the  opinion  of  the  learned  in  Germany,  says,  "The 
songs  of  Hafiz  were  collected  into  a  divan,  after  his  death,  which 
was  published  complete  (Calcutta,  1791)  and  translated  into  Ger- 
man by  the  celebrated  Orientalist,  Von  Hammer  (2  vols.  Stutt- 
gard,    1812-1815).      The  poems   of  Hafiz  are  distinguished  for 

*  See  Umbreit's  Lied  der  Liebe,  p.  5. 
i  Asiatic  Researches,  vol.  iii.  p.  172. 


148  INTRODUCTION    TO 

sprightliness  and  Anacreontic  festivity.  He  is  not  unfrequently 
loud  in  praise  of  wine,  love,  and  pleasure.  Some  writers  have 
sought  a  mystic  meaning  in  these  verses.  Feridoun,  Sururi,  Sadi, 
and  others,  have  attempted  to  explain  what  they  supposed  to  be 
the  hidden  sense." 

Before  what  appear  to  be  love-songs  in  any  nation  can  afford 
any  confirmation  of  a  mystical  sense  in  the  Canticles,  it  must  be 
shown  that  there  are  some  intimations  in  them  that  their  sensual 
expressions  are  designed  as  images  of  spiritual  things.  If  this 
cannot  be  shown,  it  is  reasonable  to  conclude  that  they  have  no 
allegoric  meaning.  But  if  there  are  in  them  decided  intima- 
tions of  a  spiritual  meaning,  then  they  are  unlike  the  Song  of 
Solomon. 

In  the  literature  of  several  nations,  an  allegorical  sense  has 
been  given  to  the  productions  of  distinguished  poets  by  their  ad- 
mirers. The  Iliad  of  Homer,  the  songs  of  Hafiz,  and  the  Canti- 
cles ascribed  to  Solomon,  have  met  with  the  same  fortune.  From 
the  allegorical  use  of  them  made  in  an  age  subsequent  to  that  in 
which  they  were  written,  we  cannot  infer  what  was  the  original 
design  and  meaning  of  either. 

I  have  no  disposition  to  deny,  however,  that  among  the  pro- 
ductions of  the  Sufi  poets  aj-e  found  poems  in  which  sensual 
images  are  used  for  the  purpose  of  expressing  devotional  feelings. 
This  might  be  expected  from  the  obscene  symbols  of  the  Sufi 
religion,  as  described  by  Tholuck.  "  Voluptatem  ex  unione  [i.e. 
cum  Deo]  captam,  turpem  adsciscentes  figuram,  assimilaverunt 
cum  coitu  maris  et  femlnae,  pra^euntibus  Indis  quorum  in  Upnek- 
hato,  t.  i.  p.  241,  conjunctio  mystica  cum  Deo  comparatur  cum 
concubitu  mulieris  praedilectae,  inter  quem  nulla  in  mariti  animo 
firma  cogitatio  permaneat  aut  imaginationis  species,  sed  universae 
sensuum  animique  vires  immersas  sint  in  suavissimam  jucunditatis 
commotionem."  * 

I  do  not  profess  a  thorough  acquaintance  with  these  writings. 
But,  having  examined  the  specimens  found  in  the  writings  of  Sir 
William  Jones,  and  in  Tholuck's  Selections f  from  the  mystic  poets 

*  Tholuck's  Ssufismus,  p.  94. 

t  Bliithenpammlung  aus  der  Morgenlandischen  Mystik,  von  F.  A.  G. 
Tholuck.     Berlin,  1825. 


THE    CANTICLES.  149 

of  the  East,  I  am  convinced  that  none  of  them  bear  much  resem- 
blance to  the  Canticles.  They  are  evidently  productions  of  a 
different  nature,  and  connected  with  a  religion  as  different  from 
the  Jewish  as  darkness  from  light. 

Among  the  specimens  most  favorable  to  the  opinion  of  those 
who  form  their  judgment  of  the  nature  of  a  Hebrew  poem  from 
the  productions  of  mystic  Sufi  pantheists  or  the  songs  of  Mahome- 
tan dervishes,  are  the  two  given  by  Mr.  Lane  in  his  work  on  the 
"Modern  Egj-ptians,"  contained  in  the  Library  of  Entertaining 
Knowledge.  These  specimens  I  shall  quote  entire  for  the  satis- 
faction of  the  reader,  the  more  especially  because  they  appear  to 
have  had  great  influence  on  the  mind  of  Professor  Stuart,  and  are 
quoted  by  him  as  the  principal  support  of  the  opinion  whicli  he 
adopts,  that  the  Canticles  "express  the  warm  and  earnest  desire 
of  the  soul  after  God,  in  language  borrowed  from  that  which  char- 
acterizes chaste  affection  between  the  sexes." 

"  The  durweesh,"  says  Mr.  Lane,*  "  pointed  out  the  following 
poem  as  one  of  those  most  common  at  zikrs,  and  as  one  which  was 
sung  at  the  zikr,  which  I  have  begun  to  describe.  I  translate  it 
verse  for  verse,  and  imitate  the  measure  and  system  of  rhyme  of 
the  original,  with  this  difference  only,  that  the  first,  third,  and  fifth 
lines  of  each  stanza  rhyme  with  each  other  in  the  original,  but  not 
in  my  translation :  — 

"  '  With  love  my  heart  is  troubled, 

And  mine  eyelid  hindereth  sleep : 
My  vitals  are  dissevered, 

While  with  streaming  tears  I  weep. 
My  union  seems  far  distant : 

Will  my  love  e'er  meet  my  eye  ? 
Alas !  did  not  estrangement 

Draw  my  tears,  I  would  not  sigh. 

By  dreary  nights  I  'm  wasted : 

Absence  makes  my  hope  expire : 
My  tears,  like  pearls,  are  dropping; 

And  my  heart  is  MTapt  in  fire. 
Whose  is  like  my  condition  ? 

Scarcely  know  I  remedy. 
Alas !  did  not  estrangement 

Draw  my  tears,  I  would  not  sigh. 

*  Modern  Egyptians,  vol.  ii.  p.  195. 


150  INTRODUCTION    TO 

0  turtle-dove !  acquaint  me, 

Wherefore  thus  dost  thou  lament  ? 
Art  thou  so  stung  by  absence  ? 

Of  thy  wings  deprived  and  pent  ? 
He  saith,  "  Our  griefs  are  equal"; 

Worn  away  with  love,  I  lie." 
Alas !  did  not  estrangement 

Draw  my  tears,  I  would  not  sigh. 

O  First  and  Everlasting ! 

Show  thy  favor  yet  to  me ; 
Thy  slave,  Ahh'mad  El-Bek'ree* 

Hath  no  Lord  excepting  thee. 
By  TaMia',t  the  great  prophet! 

Do  thou  not  his  wish  deny. 
Alas !  did  not  estrangement 

Draw  my  tears,  I  would  not  sigh.'  " 

*'  I  must  translate  a  few  more  lines,"  says  Mr.  Lane,  *'  to  show 
more  strongly  the  similarity  of  these  songs  to  that  of  Solomon ; 
and,  lest  it  should  be  thought  that  I  have  varied  the  expressions, 
I  shall  not  attempt  to  render  them  into  verse.  In  the  same  col- 
lection of  poems  sung  at  zikrs  is  one  which  begins  with  these 
lines :  — 

"  *  0  gazelle  from  among  the  gazelles  of  El-Yem'en ! 
I  am  thy  slave  without  cost : 
O  thou  small  of  age,  and  fresh  of  skin ! 
O  thou  who  art  scarce  past  the  time  of  drinking  milk ! ' 

*'  In  the  first  of  these  verses,  we  have  a  comparison  exactly 
agreeing  with  that  in  the  concluding  verse  of  Solomon's  Song ; 
for  the  word  which,  in  our  Bible,  is  translated  a  '  roe '  is  used 
in  Arabic  as  synonymous  with  ghaza'l  (or  a  gazelle)  ;  and  the 
mountains  of  El-Yem'cn  are  '  the  mountains  of  spices.'  This 
poem  ends  with  the  following  lines :  — 

" '  The  phantom  of  thy  form  visited  me  in  slumber; 
I  said,  "  O  phantom  of  slumber!  who  sent  theeV  " 
He  said,  ''  He  sent  me  whom  thou  knowest; 
He  whose  love  occupies  thee." 

*  The  author  of  the  poem.  t  A  name  of  Mahomet. 


THE     CANTICLES.  151 

The  beloved  of  my  heart  visited  me  in  the  darkuess  of  night; 

I  stood,  to  show  hiiu  honor,  until  he  sat  down. 

I  said,  "  O  thou  my  petition,  and  all  mj'  desire! 

Hast  thou  come  at  midnight,  and  not  feared  the  watchmen?  " 

He  said  to  me,  "  I  feared;  but,  however,  love 

Had  taken  from  me  my  soul  and  my  breath."  ' 

Compare  the  above  with  the  second  and  five  following  verses  of 
the  fifth  chapter  of  Solomon's  Song,"" 

Now,  as  to  the  first  of  these  religious  love-songs  of  the  Mahom- 
etan dervishes,  whatever  slight  resemblance  it  may  have  to  any 
part  of  the  Canticles,  it  differs  essentially  from  any  of  them  in  the 
circumstance,  that  the  Supreme  Being  is  expressly  introduced  as 
the  object  of  worship.  Without  this  essential  circumstance,  no 
one  could  tell  whether  it  were  originally  composed  for  a  love-song, 
or  a  religious  hjnnn  expressing  a  longing  for  a  union  of  the  soul 
with  God,  according  to  the  Sufi  philosophy  and  religion. 

In  the  second  poem,  quoted  by  Mr.  Lane,  it  is  to  be  regretted 
that  he  did  not  quote  the  whole  of  it.  For  I  can  by  no  means 
admit  the  circumstance  that  it  was  sung  by  the  dervishes  in  their 
morning  devotions  to  be  conclusive  in  regard  to  the  original  design 
of  the  hymn.  Mr.  Lane  expressly  tells  us,  in  a  note,  that  he 
found  the  last  six  lines  inserted,  with  some  slight  alterations,  as 
a  common  love-song,  in  a  portion  of  the  "  Thousand  and  One 
Nights,"  printed  at  Calcutta,  vol.  i.  p.  425 ;  Lane's  Translation, 
ii.  p.  349.  Whether  the  whole  was  originally  composed  as  a 
love-song  or  a  devotional  hymn  does  not  appear  from  the  parts  of 
it  which  Mr.  Lane  gives  us.  If,  in  the  parts  omitted,  there  is  any 
clear  reference  to  the  Deity,  it  is  unlike  any  of  the  Canticles.  If 
there  is  no  such  reference,  the  meaning  of  the  hymn  is  too  doubtful 
to  allow  any  inference  to  be  drawn  from  it.  For  we  might  as  well 
allow  the  singing  of  Dr.  Watts's  version  of  the  Canticles  to  be  an 
argument  for  their  original  design,  as  to  admit  the  singing  of  the 
mystic  dervishes  to  be  an  evidence  of  the  original  design  of  the 
hymns,  which  they  sung. 

Before  making  some  general  remarks  on  this  whole  subject  of 
attempting  to  show  the  character  of  the  Canticles  by  reference  to 
the  pantheistic  poetry  of  the  Mahometan  Sufis,  it  may  be  well 
to  mention  that  reference  has  been  made  even  to  the  poets  of  Hin- 


152  INTRODUCTION    TO 

dostan  for  the  same  purpose ;  especially  to  the  Gitagovinda,*  the 
production  of  a  celebrated  Hindoo  poet,  named  Javadeva.  This 
appears  to  be  a  mystical  poem,  designed  to  celebrate  the  loves  of 
Crishna  and  Radha,  or  the  reciprocal  attraction  between  the  Divine 
goodness  and  the  human  soul.  Xow,  whatever  may  be  the  resem- 
blance between  the  Gitagovinda  and  the  Canticles  in  some  of  their 
imagery,  there  is  this  essential  difference,  that,  in  the  former, 
Crishna  was  the  chief  incarnated  god  of  the  Hindoos  ;  f  and  that 
there  are  in  it  references  to  other  gods,  and  to  various  superstitions 
of  the  Hindoo  mythology,  whilst  in  the  Canticles  there  is  no  refer- 
ence to  any  but  human  characters.  Besides,  the  author  of  the 
Gitagovinda  clearly  intimates  its  religious  character  in  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  poem. 

We  have  seen,  then,  that  there  are  material  differences  between 
the  Canticles  and  the  religious  love-songs  to  which  reference  has 
been  made.  But,  supposing  the  resemblance  to  be  much  greater 
than  it  is,  those  mystical  songs  do  not  in  any  essential  respect  re- 
semble the  Canticles  more  than  they  do  the  odes  of  Anacreon,  or 
some  of  the  eclogues  of  Virgil,  and  the  idyls  of  Theocritus.  And 
it  is  not  easy  to  see  why  the  resemblance  does  not  prove  the  re- 
ligious character  of  the  odes  of  Anacreon  as  much  as  that  of  the 
Canticles. 

But,  after  all,  the  great  objection  remains  to  any  conclusion 
drawn  from  the  pantheistic  mystic  poets,  whether  of  Persia  or 
India,  whether  Mahometans  or  Hindoos ;  namely,  that  their  pro- 
ductions are  founded  on  a  religion  and  philosophy  entirely  differ- 
ent from  the  Jewish.  The  Canticles  are  productions  of  a  different 
country,  and  separated  from  any  of  the  songs  of  the  Sufi  poets  by 
an  interval  of  nearly  two  thousand  years.     The  Jewish  religion 

*  It  may  be  found  appended  to  Dr.  Adam  Clarke's  Commentary  on  the 
Canticles.     Also  in  the  Asiatic  Researches,  vol.  iii. 

t  "  Crishna  continues  to  this  hour  the  darling  god  of  the  Indian  women. 
The  sect  of  Hindoos,  who  adore  him  with  enthusiastic  and  almost  exclusive 
devotion,  have  broached  a  doctrine  which  they  maintain  with  eagerness,  and 
which  seems  general  in  these  provinces;  that  he  was  distinct  from  all  the 
Avatars,  who  had  only  an  ansa  or  portion  of  his  divinity;  while  Crishna  was 
the  person  of  Vishnu  himself  in  a  human  form."  —  Sir  W.  Jones,  in  Asiatic 
Researches,  vol.  i.  p.  260. 


THE    CANTICLES.  153 

has  nothing  in  common  with  the  pantheistic  mysticism  on  which 
those  songs  are  founded.  There  is  nothing  in  the  Old  Testament 
of  a  similar  character.  If  any  productions  similar  to  those  mystical 
love-songs  had  existed  in  the  religious  literature  of  the  Hebrews, 
undoubtedly  we  should  have  found  some  of  them  in  the  Book  of 
Psalms,  which  comprises  compositions  from  the  age  preceding  that 
of  David  to  a  period  long  after  the  return  of  the  Jews  from  the 
captivity  at  Babylon.  But  in  the  most  fervent  psalms,  the  forty- 
second  for  instance,  nothing  of  the  kind  is  found.  Neither  is  any 
thing  similar  to  these  mystic  songs  ascribed  to  the  Jewish  sects,  as 
described  by  Josephus  and  Philo.  Nothing  of  the  kind  is  laid  to 
the  charge  of  the  Essenes.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  nothing  ap- 
proaching to  a  like  character  is  found  in  the  New  Testament. 
Nothing  similar  is  discovered  even  in  the  allegorical  paraphrase  of 
the  Targumist*  on  the  Canticles.  All  those  religious  love-songs 
are  founded  on  the  Sufi  reHgion,  or  rather  religious  philosophy, 
which,  whether  it  was  borrowed  from  India,  as  Von  Hammer  sup- 
poses, or  arose  independently  among  the  Mahometans,  according 
to  the  opinion  of  Tholuck,f  has  no  connection  with,  or  resemblance 
to,  the  Jewish.  It  is  as  different  from  the  latter  as  darkness  from 
light.  The  argument,  therefore,  which  is  drawn  from  the  mystical 
songs  of  the  Mahometan  devotees  for  ascribing  a  mystical  character 
to  the  Canticles  is  without  foundation. 

To  me  also  it  appears  singular,  that  any  one  should  think  it  to 
be  for  the  honor  of  the  book,  or  of  the  Jewish  religion,  or  of  the 
Bible,  to  regard  the  Canticles  as  designed  to  be  a  book  of  devo- 
tion, a  guide  to  the  Jews  in  the  expression  of  their  religious  feel- 
ings to  their  Creator.  If  it  be  regarded  as  a  specimen  of  the  erotic 
poetry  of  the  Hebrews,  it  will  be  treated  with  indifference  by  most 
readers,  and  consequently  do  them  no  harm.  But,  if  regarded  as 
an  inspired  model  and  help  for  devotion,  its  direct  tendency  is  in- 
jurious to  morals  and  religion.  That  such  is  its  tendency,  when 
so  understood,  is  too  plain  to  need  argument.  Even  Professor 
Stuart,  who  professes  to  believe  it  an  inspired  composition,  de- 

*  The  Targum  on  Solomon's  Song  may  be  found  translated,  appended  to 
Dr.  Adam  Clarke's  Commentary  on  the  Canticles. 
t  Tholuck's  Ssufismus,  etc.,  cap.  ii. 

7* 


154  INTRODUCTION    TO 

signed  "to  express  the  warm  and  ardent  desire  of  the  soul  after 
God,"  is  compelled  by  his  moral  feelings  to  express  the  strangely 
inconsistent  opinion,  that  "it  is  the  safer  and  better  course  to  place 
the  Canticles,  as  the  Jews  did,  among  the  D'^t^;^,  or  books  with- 
drawn from  ordinary  use ;  "  and,  again,  that  those  who  neglect  to 
read  the  book  "  are  to  be  commended  rather  than  blamed."*  He 
attempts,  indeed,  to  show  that  what  would  be  dangerous  to  us  in 
the  Western  world  might  be  safe  for  the  Orientals,  on  account  of 
the  secluded  state  in  which  females  were  kept  among  them.  But 
it  is  not  easy  to  see  why  sensual  imagery  should  have  less  influence 
on  the  imagination  and  feelings  of  an  Oriental  on  account  of  any 
difference  between  Eastern  and  Western  society,  or  why  the  lan- 
guage of  love-songs,  used  as  the  vehicle  of  devotion,  should  have 
less  influence  to  corrupt  and  debase  the  religion  of  an  Asiatic  than 
of  an  American.  It  seems  to  be  at  least  probable,  that  what  could 
not  with  decency  be  sung  in  a  mixed  assembly  in  this  country  was 
never  designed  by  Heaven  to  be  sung  or  said  as  a  religious  exer- 
cise in  any  country.  On  general  principles,  I  should  suppose  that 
the  safety  was  on  the  side  of  the  colder  temperament  of  the  West- 
ern world,  and  that  the  freer  social  intercourse  between  the  sexes 
in  the  West  was  less  likely  to  inflame  the  Jmagination  and  the  pas- 
sions than  that  guarded  seclusion  of  females  through  which  they 
are  presented  to  the  mind  only  as  objects  of  sensual  love. 

It  may  be  that  some  of  the  Sufi  devotees  sing  their  religious 
love-songs  with  devotional  feelings.  But  that  the  tendency  of 
such  a  mode  of  worship  is  bad  is  almost  self-evident.  No  one  can 
be  surprised  when  Professor  Tholuck,  wlio  in  general  gives  the 
most  favorable  aspect  of  the  Oriental  mysticism,  informs  us  con- 
cerning the  dissoluteness  and  sensuality  of  the  dervishes  and 
Sufis,  whose  devotional  exercises  consist  of  language  and  images 
borrowed  from  sensual  love,  "Proinde,  si  quaa  dissolutions  vitae, 
quin  etiam  veneris  promiscuae  criminationes  adversus  Derwischios 
et  Ssufios  factae  sunt,  earum  me  repellendarum  equidem  haud 
parem  crederem,"f 


*  Stuart  on  the  Canon,  &c.,  p.  381. 

t  See  Thohick's  Ssufismus,  sive  Theosophia  Pcrsarum  Pantheistica,  etc., 
Berlin,  1821.     p.  88. 


THE    CANTICLES.  155 

On  the  injurious  effect  of  a  religious  use  of  the  Canticles,  the 
testimony  of  Dr.  Adam  Clarke,  who  as  a  travelling  Methodist 
preacher  had  great  opportunities  for  observation  relating  to  the 
subject,  is  as  follows.  Speaking  of  those  who  attach  a  spiritual 
meaning  to  the  book,  he  says:  "Their  conduct  is  dangerous; 
and  the  result  of  their  well-intentioned  labors  has  been  of  very 
little  service  to  the  cause  of  Christianity  in  general,  or  to  the 
interests  of  true  morality  in  particular.  By  their  mode  of  inter- 
pretation, an  undignified,  not  to  say  mean  and  carnal,  language 
has  been  propagated  among  many  well-meaning  religious  people, 
that  has  associated  itself  too  much  with  selfish  and  animal  affec- 
tions, and  created  feelings  that  accorded  little  with  the  dignified 
spirituality  of  the  religion  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  I  speak  not  from 
report ;  I  speak  from  observation  and  experience,  and  observation 
not  hastily  made.  The  conviction  on  my  mind,  and  the  conclusion 
to  which  I  have  conscientiously  arrived,  are  the  result  of  frequent 
examination,  careful  reading,  and  close  thinking  at  intervals,  for 
nearly  fifty  years ;  and,  however  I  may  be  blamed  by  some  and 
pitied  by  others,  I  must  say,  and  I  say  it  as  fearlessly  as  I  do 
conscientiously,  that  in  this  inimitably  fine,  elegant  Hebrew  ode 
I  see  nothing  of  Christ  and  his  Church,  and  nothing  that  appears 
to  have  been  intended  to  be  thus  understood ;  and  nothing,  if 
applied  in  this  way,  that,  per  se,  can  promote  the  interests  of 
vital  godliness,  or  cause  the  simple  and  sincere  not  to  know 
Christ  after  the  flesh.  Here  I  conscientiously  stand:  may  God 
help  me."* 

Indeed,  the  history  of  religion  in  all  ages  and  in  all  countries 
is  full  of  examples  of  the  danger  that  excited  religious  feeling 
may  unite  itself  with  sensual  feelings,  and  express  itself  in  sensual 
images.  Witness  the  representations  of  some  of  the  Hindoo 
gods,  and  the  religious  rites  of  various  heathen  nations.  Even  in 
Christendom,  hymns  have  been  sung  as  religious,  which  fall 
below  any  heathen  addresses  to  Phallus  or  Priapus.  In  proof  of 
this  may  be  adduced  the  obscene  language  used  by  the  early 
Moravians,  in  their  hymns  and  other  acts  of  worship.  Examples 
of  language  of  this  kind,  indecent  beyond  conception,  are  quoted 

*  See  his  Introduction  to  the  Song  of  Solomon. 


156  INTRODUCTION    TO 

by  Rinrfus,  *  in  his  writings  relating  to  the  Moravians.  Fortu- 
nately, these  sincere  but  misguided  Christians  were  taught  by 
their  assailants  to  correct  their  dangerous  error.  But  let  it  be 
generally  believed  that  the  Canticles  were  inspired  and  designed 
"to  express  the  warm  and  earnest  desire  of  the  soul  after  God," 
and  we  shall  be  likely  to  have  the  error  of  the  early  Moravians 
repeated  in  all  its  disgusting  ofFensiveness.  Its  direct  influence 
will  be  to  debase  religion  and  promote  immorality.  Let  it  not  be 
said  there  is  no  danger,  in  a  community  in  which  Millerism  and 
Mormonism  have  found  so  many  proselytes. 

The  opinion,  then,  that  the  Canticles  were  designed  as  helps 
to  the  soul  in  its  devotions,  is  more  discreditable  to  the  book 
itself,  to  the  Scriptures,  and  to  the  Jewish  religion,  than  that  which 
regards  them  as  relics  of  the  amatory  poetry  of  the  Hebrews. 
That  which  is  noxious  is  more  discreditable  than  that  which  is 
merely  indifferent.  The  odes  of  Anacreon,  while  they  are  read  in 
our  schools  as  amatory  poetry,  have  but  little  influence  of  any 
kind.  But  if  they  were  taught  as  helps  to  devotion,  to  be  repeated 
day  after  day  as  religious  exercises  during  one's  whole  life,  the 
effect  would  be  very  different. 

One  other  argument  has  been  urged  of  late  in  favor  of  the 
mystical  interpretation  of  the  Canticles,  which  I  should  think 
unworthy  of  notice,  were  it  not  for  the  respectability  of  those 
who  offer  it.  It  is  drawn  from  the  difference  of  opinion,  in  regard 
to  the  object,  plan,  and  design  of  the  Canticles,  among  those  who 
reject  the  allegorical  interpretation.  But  this  difference  of  opinion 
relates  not  to  the  general  character  of  the  book,  or  to  the  meaning 
of  its  language,  but  to  the  author's  special  plan  and  design.  It  is 
not  strange  that  there  should  have  been  a  difference  of  opinion  on 
these  points,  since  no  special  object  or  plan  may  have  existed  in 
the  author's  mind.  But,  after  all,  there  is  no  greater  difference  of 
opinion  in  regard  to  the  Canticles  than  in  regard  to  Ecclesiastes, 
Job,  and  some  other  books  of  the  Old  Testament.  And  this 
argument,  if  it  proves  any  thing,  proves  that  we  may  fasten  an 
allegorical  sense  upon  any  difficult  passage  or  book  of  the  Bible. 

*  See  Rimius's  Histoiy  of  the  Moravians,  &c.,  Tracts,  vols.  i.  and  ii. 
(London,  1754).     See  also  Southey's  Life  of  Wesley,  vol.  1.  pp.  188  and  387. 


THE    CANTICLES.  157 

Besides,  for  every  two  different  opinions  expressed  by  those  who 
reject  the  mystical  sense  of  the  Canticles,  it  will  be  very  easy  to 
find  four  expressed  by  those  who  hold  it. 

Why,  then,  says  the  friend  of  the  allegorical  interpretation 
of  the  Canticles,  is  the  book  found  in  the  Scriptures,  if  it  has  not 
a  religious  meaning  or  a  moral  value  ?  This,  after  all,  is,  I  appre- 
hend, the  only  argument  which  has  much  real  weight  even  with 
the  allegorists.  The  book  is  found  in  the  Scriptures  ;  therefore  it 
cannot  be  understood  in  its  obvious  sense ;  therefore  it  must  have 
an  allegorical  sense ;  and,  since  the  author  has  not  said  or  inti- 
mated what  the  religious  sense  of  his  words  is,  the  reader  must 
supply  it  for  him. 

Now,  suppose  that  we  were  wholly  unable  to  answer  the  ques- 
tion, how  an  amatory  poem,  or  a  collection  of  amatory  poetry, 
came  into  the  Jewish  canon  of  the  Scriptures.  Is  our  ignorance 
on  a  point  like  this  a  reason  for  assigning  to  a  man's  words  a 
sense  which  was  never  in  his  mind,  and  which,'  according  to  the 
usage  of  the  language  in  which  he  wrote,  and  of  the  authors  of 
the  same  nation,  in  his  own  age,  or  before  or  after  his  time,  his 
words  are  not  adapted  to  express  ? 

No  one  knows,  or  has  good  reason  to  believe,  what  individuals 
or  body  of  men  made  the  collection  of  the  writings  of  the  Old 
Testament.  Of  course,  we  do  not  know  on  what  judgment,  if 
any,  the  admission  of  a  writing  into  this  collection  rests.  For 
aught  we  know,  all  the  Hebrew  works  extant  at  a  particular  time 
may  have  been  included  in  the  collection.  The  incredible  and 
contradictory  Jewish  traditions  on  the  subject  all  go  to  show  that 
absolutely  nothing  is  known  respecting  it.*  One  may  find  abun- 
dance of  conjecture  and  of  strained  inferences  relating  to  it,  but 
no  genuine  history.  The  Book  of  Canticles,  then,  if  placed  in 
the  collection  of  Hebrew  literature  by  an  act  of  judgment,  may 
have  been  placed  there  by  those  who  supposed  it  a  production, 
possessing  much  poetic  beauty,  of  a  person  so  celebrated  through- 
out the  East  as  Solomon.  Much  uncertainty  exists  in  regard  to 
the   time  when  the  books   of  the   Old   Testament  began  to  be 

*  See  De  Wette's  Introduction  to  the  Old  Testament,  §  14,  and  his 
references. 


158  INTRODUCTION    TO 

regarded  as  holy  writings.  That  they  were  so  regarded  wheu 
this  book  was  added  to  the  number  cannot  be  proved.  It  may 
then  have  been  regarded  as  only  a  collection  of  national  writings ; 
of  all  that  was  esteemed  valuable  in  Hebrew  literature.  That  a 
great  part  of  the  Old  Testament  has  a  religious  character  may  be 
accounted  for  by  the  predominant  religious  spirit  of  the  Jews,  and 
the  existence  of  their  theocratic  institutions. 

Or,  if  we  suppose  the  collector  or  collectors  to  have  regarded 
the  collection  of  the  Hebrew  writings  as  possessing  a  moral  or 
religious  character  when  the  Canticles  were  introduced  into  it, 
why  may  not  the  book  have  been  regarded  by  them  as  having  a 
good  moral  tendency  in  its  literal  sense ;  as  designed  to  recom- 
mend monogamy,  as  some  modern  expositors  suppose ;  or  as 
designed  to  show  "the  reward  of  fidelity  and  constancy  in  affairs 
of  the  heart,"  as  others  imagine ;  or  that  its  object  was  to  prove 
"that  love,  as  the  freest  and  fairest  gift  of  the  heart,  can  no  more 
be  destroyed  than  called  forth  by  outward  power,"  as  a  third 
class  has  maintained ;  or  that  the  author's  design  was  the  general 
one  of  setting  forth  "the  pleasures  of  virtuous  love"?  These  or 
other  reasons  may  have  influenced  the  collector  or  collectors 
in  giving  it  a  place  in  the  volume  afterwards  held  sacred  by  the 
Jews,  without  supposing  that  it  possessed  a  religious  or  mystical 
character. 

But,  even  supposing  that  the  allegorical  interpretation  pre- 
vailed at  so  early  a  period  as  that  of  the  completion  of  the  canon 
of  the  Jewish  Scriptures,  and  that  the  Canticles  were  admitted 
into  it  by  those  who  regarded  it  as  an  allegory  expressive  of  reli- 
gious ideas,  it  by  no  means  follows  that  such  is  the  fact.  There 
is  abundant  reason  for  distrusting  the  judgment  as  well  as  the 
information  of  the  collectors  of  the  books  of  the  Old  Testament. 
Witness  the  false  captions  to  many  of  the  Psalms,  the  confiised 
state  of  the  prophecies  of  Jeremiah,  the  mode  in  which  the 
prophets  were  arranged,  the  ascription  to  Isaiah  of  much  which 
he  could  not  have  written,  in  the  judgment  not  merely  of  ration- 
alists, but  of  the  most  Orthodox  critics.  If  he  or  they  who  placed 
the  Canticles  in  the  Old  Testament,  hundreds  of  years  after  it  was 
written,  regarded  it  as  a  religious  or  even  an  inspired  book,  this 
is  not  a  sufficient  reason  why  Ave  should  so  regard  it. 


THE    CANTICLES.  159 

In  respect  to  the  mere  question,  whether  the  book  was  con- 
tained in  the  Jewish  canon,  that  is,  whether  it  was  generally 
received  by  the  Jews  as  a  part  of  their  sacred  writings  for  nearly 
two  hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era,  I  entirely  agree  with 
those  who  regard  it  as  canonical.  But  whether  any  book  has  in 
reality  a  claim  on  my  faith  or  practice  depends  on  very  different 
considerations  from  that  of  its  general  reception,  whether  by  the 
Jewish  nation  or  the  Christian  Church.  I  must  satisfy  myself, 
first,  whether  the  writer  ever  laid  claim  to  Divine  authority ;  and, 
if  he  did,  whether  he  gave  any  proof  of  his  claim,  internal  or 
external.  If  I  admit  the  authority  of  the  Church,  that  is,  of  a 
majority  of  it,  as  settling  conclusively  what  I  am  to  receive  as  of 
Divine  authority,  I  must  admit  the  authority  of  the  Church  in 
other  matters,  and  adopt  the  creed  of  Romanism  at  once.  The 
Church,  that  is,  the  majority  of  the  Church,  the  Roman  Church, 
regards  the  books  commonly  called  apocryphal  as  canonical. 
Such  is  the  decree  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 

The  only  way  in  which  a  critical  and  historical  inquirer  can 
satisfy  himself  as  to  the  Divine  authority  of  any  book  of  the  Old 
or  the  New  Testament  is  to  take  it  up  separately,  and  consider 
what  it  claims  to  be,  and  how  far  its  claims  are  supported  by 
internal  and  external  evidence,  and  then  accept  it  for  what  it  is. 
If  in  the  Canticles,  for  instance,  we  find  no  mention  of  God,  of 
duty,  or  of  the  destination  of  man,  no  doctrine  of  any  kind  requir- 
ing the  faith,  or  duty  requiring  the  practice,  of  mankind,  let  us 
take  the  book  for  what,  according  to  the  received  use  of  lan- 
guage, it  purports  to  be,  —  a  collection  of  amatory  songs;  and 
award  to  it,  as  a  work  of  taste,  that  portion  of  praise  to  which  we 
consider  it  entitled.  This  would  seem  to  be  all  that  duty  requires 
of  us. 

There  are  some,  it  is  true,  who  maintain  that  Jesus  Christ  and 
his  apostles  have  given  the  sanction  of  Divine  authority  to  the  gen- 
uineness and  inspiration  of  all  the  books  contained  in  the  Jewish 
canon.  In  regard  to  the  particular  question  which  I  have  been 
discussing,  I  might  urge  that  the  Canticles  are  nowhere  alluded  to 
in  the  New  Testament,  as  would  naturally  have  been  the  case  if 
they  had  been  regarded  as  setting  forth  the  mutual  love  of  Christ 
and  the  Church,  or  of  Jehovah  and  the  Jewish  people,  or  of  God 


100  INTRODUCTION    TO 

and  the  human  soul.  But  I  have  no  faith  in  the  proposition,  that 
Jesus  Christ  meant  to  extend  his  authority  and  approbation  to  all 
that  was  contained  in  the  Jewish  canon  in  his  time.  I  do  not 
beheve  that  it  was  a  part  of  his  mission,  even  if  it  were  within  the 
compass  of  his  knowledge,  to  decide  questions  of  criticism  and 
interpretation  more  than  of  astronomy  or  geology,  or  the  causes 
of  disease.  He  referred  to  the  books  of  the  Old  Testament,  just 
as  he  used  the  phraseology  concerning  demoniacs,  according  to  the 
received  opinions  of  the  Jews.  If  he  held  these  opinions  himself, 
he  did  not  inculcate  them  upon  others.  He  had  ample  work  to 
employ  all  his  time  during  his  short  ministry  on  earth,  in  establish- 
ing, as  God's  prophet,  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  his  religion, 
without  entering  into  controversy  with  the  Jews  on  matters  of  criti- 
cism and  interpretation.  If  his  mission  was  to  settle,  by  Divine 
authority,  all  the  various  questions  which  have  arisen  in  regard  to 
the  character,  criticism,  and  meaning  of  the  Old  Testament,  then 
one  object  of  his  coming  into  the  Avorld  was  to  set  bounds  to  criti- 
cism, the  inevitable  consequence  of  which  would  be  to  put  a  stop 
to  that  mental  improvement  and  that  exact  knowledge  which  are 
the  result  of  criticism.  For  it  is  idle  to  pretend  that  we  have  a 
right  to  study  the  Old  Testament  critically,  unless  we  have  a  right 
to  judge  of  its  contents  according  to  the  laws  of  critical  and  histori- 
cal investigation.  I  cannot  believe  that  the  design  of  Christ's 
coming  into  the  world  was  to  put  a  stop  to  any  scientific  investi- 
gation. Nothing,  it  appears  to  me,  is  more  likely  to  promote  the 
cause  of  scepticism  than  attempts  to  restrain  historical  and  critical 
inquiry  by  dint  of  authority,  whatever  the  authority  may  be. 

From  the  references  made  by  our  Saviour  to  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, we  may  conclude  that  in  his  view  it  contained  much  that 
is  Divine.  But  that  he  intended  to  sanction  all  that  is  contained 
in  it,  or  to  settle  critical  questions  in  regard  to  the  genuipeness 
and  authority  of  every  book  in  it,  is  in  the  highest  degree  improba- 
ble. The  arguments  which  have  been  adduced  to  support  such  a 
proposition  fall  very  far  short  of  their  aim.  How  could  he  who 
gave  the  command,  "Love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse 
you,  and  pray  for  them  that  despitefully  use  you  and  persecute 
you,"  have  supposed  that  the  barbarous  extermination  of  the 
Canaanites  was  by  express  Divine  coumiand  ?     Or  how  could  he 


THE    CANTICLES.  161 

who  died  praying  for  his  enemies,  "Father,  forgive  them,  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do  ! "  have  sanctioned  the  horrible  impreca- 
tions in  the  hundred  and  ninth  Psahn,  or  other  passages  of  the 
Old  Testament  having  a  similar  character  ?  (See  also  Matt.  xix. 
8,  9 ;  vii.  31-34,  38,  39.) 

These  views,  or  those  which  have  a  similar  bearing  on  the  Old 
Testament,  have  been  expressed  by  divines  of  different  denomina- 
tions. The  late  Dr.  Arnold,  of  the  Church  of  England,  whose 
praise  as  a  scholar  and  a  Christian  is  high  wherever  the  English 
language  is  spoken,  regarded  it  as  perfectly  consistent  with  the 
acknowledgment  of  the  Divine  authority  of  Christ  to  pronounce 
the  Book  of  Daniel  a  forgery.*  One  of  the  most  distinguished 
orthodox  dissenting  divines  in  England,  after  expressing  the  opin- 
ion that  the  Song  of  Songs  is  "  a  pastoral  eclogue,  or  a  succession 
of  eclogues,  representing,  in  the  \avid  colors  of  Asiastic  rural 
scenery,  with  a  splendor  of  artificial  decoration,  the  honorable 
loves  of  a  newly-married  bride  and  bridegroom,  with  some  other 
interlocutors,"  writes  thus:  "It  is,  I  deeply  feel  and  acknowl- 
edge, an  awful  thing  to  appear  to  go  in  contravention  to  the  gen- 
erally assumed  position,  that  our  Lord  and  his  apostles  recognized 
the  writings  received  as  sacred  by  the  Jews  at  that  time  as  the 
exclusive  and  entire  canon.  But  I  humbly  request  that  it  may  be 
considered  .what  is  meant  by  the  term  canon  or  rule ;  and  whether 
that  meaning  can  be  attached  to  a  composition  which  has  not  in 
it  a  sentence,  or  a  single  word,  possessing  the  nature  of  a  rule, 
directory,  standard,  or  prescription  whatsoever,  in  reference  to 
facts  or  doctrines  or  precepts,  or  any  thing  at  all  of  a  religious 
kind,  except  upon  a  plan  of  translating  its  terms  and  ideas  into 
another  kind  of  subjects,  of  which  not  the  shadow  of  intimation  is 
given  in  the  composition  itself,  and  against  which  I  am  bound 
to  protest,  as  destructive  of  the  certainty  of  language,  and  by 
inevitable  consequence  inflicting  a  deep  injury  upon  the  records 
of  revealed  truth.  If  we  cannot  depend  upon  the  definite  and 
constant  meaning  of  words  and  references  of  sentences  as  drawn 
out  by  honest  philology,  we  may  as  well  shut  our  books,  resign 
ourselves  to  impious  indifference,  or  fall  back  into  the  bosom  of 

*  See  Arnold's  Life  and  Writings,  Letter  218,  p.  369,  Amer.  edit. 


162  INTRODUCTION    TO 

the  pretended  infallible  Church.  When  I  reflect  upon  the  diffi- 
culties, using  the  mildest  term,  which  arise  from  an  endeavor 
to  convert  passages  containing  matter  merely  genealogical,  topo- 
graphical, numerical,  civil,  military,  —  fragments  of  antiquity,  do- 
mestic or  national,  presenting  no  character  whatever  of  religious 
matter, — into  a  rule  of  faith  and  manners,  I  feel  it  impossible 
to  accept  the  conclusion;  I  can  find  no  end  to  my  anxiety,  no 
rest  ibr  my  faith,  no  satisfaction  for  my  understanding,  till  I 
embrace  the  sentiment,  that  the  qualities  of  sanctity  and  inspira- 
tion belong  only  to  the  religious  and  theological  element,  wliich 
is  diffused  througli  the  Old  Testament ;  and  that,  where  this 
element  is  absent,  where  there  is  nothing  adapted  to  communicate 
'  doctrine,  reproof,  correction,  or  instruction  in  righteousness,' 
nothing  fitted  '  to  make  the  man  of  God  perfect,  thoroughly  fur- 
nished unto  every  good  work,'  —  there  we  are  not  called  to  ac- 
knowledge any  inspiration,  nor  warranted  to  assume  it.  Thus, 
I  regard  as  inspired  Scripture  all  that  refers  to  lioly  things,  all 
that  can  bear  the  character  of  '  oracles  of  God ; '  and  admit  the 
rest  as  appendages,  of  the  nature  of  private  memoirs  or  public 
records,  useful  to  the  antiquary  and  the  philologist,  but  which 
belong  not  to  the  rule  of  faith  or  the  directory  of  practice.  To 
this  extent,  and  to  tliis  only,  can  I  regard  the  sanction  of  the 
New  Testament  as  given  to  the  inspiration  of  the  Old.  In  other 
words,  the  quality  of  inspiration,  forming  the  ground  of  faith  and 
obedience,  inheres  in  every  sentence,  paragraph,  or  book,  which, 
either  directly  or  by  implication,  contains  religious  truth,  precept, 
or  expectation.  This,  I  humbly  think,  leaves  us  every  thing  that 
a  Christian  can  wish  for ;  and  it  liberates  us  from  the  pressure 
of  difficulties  which  have  often  furnished  the  enemies  of  revealed 
truth  with  pretexts  for  serious  objections.  Inspiration  belongs  to 
religious  objects ;  and  to  attach  it  to  other  things  is  to  lose  sight 
of  its  nature,  and  misapply  its  design."* 

To  other  theories,  which  assign  a  mystical  moaning  to  the  Can- 
ticles, some  of  the  arguments  which  I  have  used  against  the  view 
adopted  by  Professor  Stuart  apply  with  equal,  others  with  less, 

*  Scripture  Testimony  to  the  Messiah,  by  John  Pye  Smith,  D.D.  Lon- 
don, 1837.   p.  53,  &c. 


THE    CANTICLES.  163 

force.  All  of  them  are  liable  to  the  decisive  objection,  that  they 
are  in  opposition  to  the  received  use  of  language.  At  a  time  when 
all  the  books  of  the  Scriptures  were  interpreted  in  the  allegorical 
mode,  as  by  the  Church  fathers,  it  was  a  matter  of  course  that  the 
Canticles  should  be  treated  in  the  same  way.  But  now  that  just 
principles  of  interpretation  have  been  applied  to  the  explanation 
of  most  parts  of  the  Bible,  it  is  time  to  give  up  attempts  to  alle- 
gorize the  Canticles.  To  the  popular  theory,  that  Christ  and  the 
Church  are  denoted,  may  be  urged  the  additional  objection,  that 
there  is  not  in  the  book  the  least  appearance  of  prediction.  It 
implies  throughout  a  state  of  things  then  existing  or  past.  This 
theory  is  also,  if  possible,  more  arbitrary,  and  more  completely 
destitute  of  support  from  the  use  of  language  and  the  state  of 
religious  knowledge  among  the  contemporaries  of  the  writer,  or 
among  the  Jews  before  the  time  of  Christ,"  than  any  one  of  the 
principal  theories  which  have  been  mentioned.  Against  this  view, 
too,  it  may  be  justly  urged  that  the  book  is  nowhere  alluded  to  in 
the  New  Testament.  If  the  subject  of  it  had  been  supposed  to  be 
Christ  and  the  Church,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  allusions 
to  it  would  have  been  very  frequent,  both  in  the  Gospels  and 
Epistles. 

Since,  then,  there  is  no  reason  for  supposing  a  mystical  re- 
lig-ious  meanina;  in  the  Canticles,  and  since  their  whole  tenor  and 
complexion  are  in  opposition  to  such  a  meaning,  the  book  must 
be  interpreted  according  to  the  received  use  of  language.  Thus 
inteupreted,  its  principal  subject,  as  all  will  admit,  is  the  recip- 
rocal affection  between  the  sexes,  as  set  forth  in  poetical  repre- 
sentation. There  may  be  some  doubt  as  to  the  relation  in  which 
the  parties  stood  to  each  other,  whether  in  that  of  lovers  before 
marriage,  or  in  that  of  the  head  of  the  harem  to  one  of  its  mem- 
bers, or  in  that  of  husband  and  wife.  That  the  last  supposition 
is  not  true  throughout  seems  to  be  obvious  from  the  general  char- 
acter of  the  representation,  as  well  as  from  particular  passages. 
It  is  also  not  analogous  to  similar  compositions  by  writers  of  other 
countries  to  suppose  the  affection  of  married  life  to  be  the  subject 
of  the  work. 

We  have,  then,  in  the  Canticles  the  remains  of  the  amatory  or 
erotic  poetry  of  the  Hebrews.    Whether  the  book  is  to  be  regarded 


164  INTRODUCTION    TO 

as  one  whole,  a  regular  dramatic  poem,  or  as  a  collection  of  sev- 
eral amatory  songs  or  idyls,  is  a  question  which  may  be  considered 
as  somewhat  doubtful.  Without  going  into  a  full  discussion  of  the 
subject,  I  adopt  the  latter  opinion,  which  was  the  opinion  of  Rich- 
ard Simon,  Herder,  Doderlein,  Eichhorn,  De  AVette,  Sir  William 
Jones,  and  Dr.  Good,  —  for  the  reason  that  there  is  not  sufficient 
evidence  in  favor  of  a  general  plan  or  course  of  dramatic  action. 
Those  who  have  maintained  the  other  opinion  have  been  obliged 
to  make  some  very  arbitrary  suppositions,  and  to  draw  largely  on 
their  own  imaginations,  in  order  to  make  out  any  plausible  course 
of  action,  or  any  general  design  which  the  writer  intended  to  ac- 
complish, or  has  accomplished.  I  have  supposed  the  book  to  con- 
sist of  twelve  songs. 

Thus,  while  Bossuet  and  Percy  suppose  the  work  to  be  a  pas- 
toral drama,  designed  to  celebrate  the  marriage  of  Solomon  with 
the  daughter  of  the  king  of  Egypt,  several  of  the  most  recent  of 
the  German  writers  *  on  the  book  suppose  that  it  is  designed  to 
set  forth  the  praise  of  true  love  in  humble  life,  and  how  an  innocent 
country  maiden  resisted  all  the  arts  of  King  Solomon  to  seduce 
her  from  her  faith  to  her  shepherd  lover.  Respecting  the  first  of 
these  theories,  it  may  be  remarked  that  there  is  very  little  in  the 
book  which  seems  suited  to  the  occasion  of  royal  nuptials ;  that 
there  are  no  allusions  to  Solomon  which  imply  that  he  was  the  sub- 
ject of  the  composition,  except  in  chap.  iii.  6-11,  and  perhaps 
chap.  i.  9-ii.  7  ;  and  that  there  is  too  much  of  rural  life  in  it  to  be 
suited  to  the  scene  of  a  royal  court.  The  objection  to  the  second 
theory  is,  that  it  comes  more  from  the  imagination  of  the  inter- 
preter than  from  the  language  of  the  author.  Dr.  Good  remarks  : 
"  The  Song  of  Songs  cannot  be  one  connected  epithalamium,  since 
the  transitions  are  too  abrupt- for  the  wildest  flights  of  the  Oriental 
nuise,  and  evidently  imply  a  variety  of  openings  and  conclusions  ; 
while,  as  a  regular  drama,  it  is  deficient  in  almost  every  requisite 
that  could  give  it  such  a  classification :    it  has  neither  dramatic 

*  Lied  der  Liebe,  das  alteste  und  schonste  aus  dem  Morgenlande.  Ueber- 
setzt  und  asthetisch  erkliirt  von  Friedrich  Wilhelm  Carl  Umbreit.  Heidel- 
berg, 1828. 

Das  Hohelied  Salomo's  iibersetzt,  etc.,  von  Dr.  Georg  Heinrich  August 
Ewald.    Gottingen,  1826. 


THE     CANTICLES.  165 

fable  nor  action,  neither  involution  nor  catastrophe ;  it  is  without 
a  beginning,  a  middle,  or  an  end.  To  call  it  such  is  to  injure  it 
essentially ;  it  is  to  raise  expectations  which  can  never  be  grati- 
fied, and  to  force  parts  upon  parts  which  have  no  possible  con- 
nection."* 

Having  thus  given  the  view  which  seems  to  me  most  probable, 
I  admit  that  there  are  some  indicati(^ns  of  unity  in  the  Canticles, 
such  as  the  refrains  in  chap.  ii.  7  ;  iii.  5  ;  viii.  4 ;  and  the  recurrence 
of  similar  thoughts  or  expressions  in  various  parts  of  the  book. 
There  are  also  some  indications  that  the  work  possesses  a  dramatic 
character,  being  designed,  however,  only  to  be  read,  not  to  be 
acted.  This  is  undoubtedly  the  most  prevalent  opinion  in  regard 
to  the  book.  The  subject  and  design  of  it,  according  to  most  of 
those  writers  who  adopt  this  opinion,  may  be  stated  as  follows  :  A 
country 'maiden,  called  the  Shulamite,  who  had  engaged  her  affec- 
tions to  a  shepherd  lover,  and  who  was  perhaps  betrothed  to 
him,  has  been  carried  to  the  interior  of  Solomon's  palace.  This 
monarch  tries  to  win  her  affections  by  praises,  blandishments,  and 
entreaties,  but  without  success.  She  is  constant  and  faithful  to  her 
lover  in  humble  life,  and  rejects  all  the  overtures  of  royalty.  She 
is  constantly  thinking  of  her  beloved,  declaring  her  attachment  to 
him,  and  desiring  to  return  to  the  place  where  he  is.  After  Solo- 
mon had  tried  in  vain  to  alienate  her  affection  from  the  shepherd 
and  fix  it  upon  himself,  she  is  set  free  from  the  harem,  and  hastens 
to  rejoin  her  beloved  shepherd  in  the  country.  The  design  is  said 
to  be,  to  set  forth  the  praises  of  fidelity  in  love,  or  the  praises  of 
that  love  which  is  only  to  be  preserved  by  innocence  and  virtue. 

Respecting  the  number  of  sections,  or  acts,  scenes,  and  speak- 
ers, there  has  been,  as  might  be  expected,  a  wide  difference'  of 
opinion  among  those  who  assign  to  the  whole  book  a  dramatic  form, 
as  one  poem.  Renan  has  gone  farthest  in  reducing  it  to  the  form 
of  a  modern  drama  in  five  acts,  and  the  appropriate  scenes.  Dr. 
Davidson's  analysis  of  the  book,f  which,  considered  as  a  mere  the- 
ory, is  as  satisfactory  as  any  which  has  been  given,  is,  with  a  few 
slight  abbreviations,  as  follows  :  — 

*  See  Preface  to  his  Translation  of  the  Canticles, 
t  Introduction  to  the  0.  T.,  vol.  ii.  p.  389-392. 


166  INTRODUCTION    TO 

"  The  poem  may  be  divided  into  six  sections :  — 

"1.  (Chap.  i.  2-ii.  7.)  —  After  the  inscription,  the  Shulamite  appears  in  the 
royal  tent  in  the  country'  into  which  she  had  been  carried,  still  clothed  in  her 
rustic  robes,  but  thinking  onl}'  of  her  absent  shepherd-lover.  The  court 
ladies  attendant  on  the  king  look  curiously  at  her,  on  account  of  the  swarthy 
color  of  her  face ;  but  she  informs  them  that  it  was  caused  by  exposure  to 
the  sun ;  for  her  brothers  had  obliged  her  to  keep  their  vineyards.  Continu- 
ing her  soliloquy  after  this,  she  asks  her  lover,  as  if  she  were  already  free, 
where  she  may  find  him.  The  ladies  bid  her  go  and  feed  her  sheep  (i.  1-8). 
Solomon  now  steps  forward,  praising  her  beautj^,  and  promising  to  adorn 
her  with  a  beautiful  chain  (i.  9-11).  But  she  praises  her  beloved,  and  is  in- 
sensible to  the  monarch's  words.  She  then  implores  the  women  around  her 
to  grant  her  leisure  to  think  of  her  friend  (i.  12-14,  Shulamite;  15,  Solomon; 
16,  17-ii.  1,  Shulamite;  ii.  2,  wSolomon;  ii.  3-7,  Shulamite). 

"2.  (ii.  8-iii.  5.)  —  Here  the  place  is  not  changed;  but  the  time  is  sup- 
posed to  be  considerably  prior  to  that  in  ii.  7.  The  Shulamite  refers  to  the 
occasion  of  her  being  first  separated  from  her  beloved,  who  invitgd  her  out 
into  the  fields  in  the  spring.  The  fifteenth  verse  gives  the  words  of  her 
brothers,  which  led  to  the  separation.  She  consoles  herself,  however,  with 
the  inseparableness  of  their  hearts,  bidding  him  hasten  to  her  side  (ii.  8-17). 

"  The  espoused  one  now  relates  a  dream  which  she  had  respecting  her  lover, 
saying  that  she  had  sought  but  did  not  find  him;  that  she  had  risen  up  sind 
gone  through  the  streets  (of  Shunem);  and  when  she  met  with  the  watchmen 
of  the  city,  and  asked  them  if  they  had  seen  her  beloved,  they  had  hardly 
passed  by  her  when  she  laid  hold  of  him,  and  took  him  to  the  house  of  her 
mother  (iii.  1-5). 

"  3.  (iii.  6-v.  1.)  —  Solomon  is  now  described  returning  to  Jerusalem  from 
his  royal  castle  in  the  country,  with  great  pomp  and  splendor.  The  people 
admire  the  magnificent  palanquin  in  which  the  Shulamite  is  conve3^ed  (iii. 
6-11).  Wishing  to  procure  her  favor  by  his  flatteries,  the  monarch  praises 
her  gracefulness,  and  greatly  desires  to  gain  the  love  of  one  so  beautiful  (iv. 
1-7).  In  iii.  6-11,  spectators  looking  at  the  procession  from  the  country  are 
supposed  to  speak.  Solomon  is  represented  as  having  all  preparations  made 
for  his  marriage.  He  is  crowned,  but  she  is  not.  He  appears  resolved  to 
overcome  her  inclination. 

"  The  language  of  iv.  1-7  is  sufficient  to  show  that  Solomon  is  the  speaker 
here,  not  the  shepherd-lover.  The  latter,  who  is  suddenly  introduced,  assures 
lier  that  he  Avould  attempt  every  thing  to  rescue  her  from  her  perilous  posi- 
tion. He  then  praises  her  chastity,  fidelity,  and  modesty;  employing  the 
figure  of  an  enclosed  garden  (iv.  8-15). 

"  The  Shulamite  replies  in  iv.  16 ;  and  the  shepherd  responds  in  v.  1,  giving 
utterance  to  his  delight  in  her  charms.  The  poet  addresses  them  both: 
'Eat,  O  friends!     Drink,  yea,  drink  abundantly,  O  beloved ! ' 

"4.  (v.  2-vi.  3.)  —  The  Shulamite  relates  a  dream  she  saw  respecting  her 


THE     CANTICLTOS.  167 

shepherd  to  the  court  ladies.  The  purport  of  this  was,  that  he  came  to  her 
dwelling  at  night,  and  asked  her  to  let  him  in.  At  first  she  was  reluctant  to 
do  so ;  but  when  he  put  his  hand  through  the  window,  and  begged  more 
earnestly  that  he  might  be  admitted,  she  rose  up  and  opened  the  door,  but 
found  him  gone,  and  called  him  in  vain.  In  seeking  him,  she  met  with  the 
watchmen  of  the  city,  who  wounded  and  shamefully  treated  her.  She  then 
beseeches  these  ladies,  that,  if  they  found  her  friend,  they  would  tell  him  how 
sick  of  love  she  was.  When  they  ask  what  his  attractions  are  more  than 
those  of  an  ordinary  lover  (v.  9),  the  Shulamite  describes  his  personal  appear- 
ance and  beauty.  After  the  description,  the  daughters  of  Jerusalem  inquire 
whither  he  is  gone  (vi.  1),  professing  their  willingness  to  go  with  her  to  seek 
him  out.  She  answers  that  he  has  gone  to  his  garden,  and  declares  that  their 
affection  is  mutual  and  inseparable. 

"5.  (vi.  4-viii.  4.)  —  Solomon  now  appears  and  addresses  the  Shulamite  in 
flattering  terms,  afKrming  that  he  prefers  her  to  all  his  wives  and  concubines. 
In  vi.  10  he  cites  the  encomium  of  the  court  ladies  upon  her.  The  Shulamite 
explains  how  she  had  fallen  in  with  the  royal  cortege ;  at  the  sight  of  which 
she  was  at  tirst  frightened,  and  hastened  away,  till  by  the  advice  of  the  court 
ladies  she  remained  (vi.  13),  and  so  came  to  be  seen  by  the  king,  who 
tries  to  induce  her  to  love  him,  and  therefore  celebrates  her  beauty  (vi. 
4-vii.  9). 

"  The  Shulamite  declaring  that  she  is  wholly  devoted  to  her  bridegroom, 
and  so  showing  that  she  steadfastly  resists  all  the  arts  of  Solomon,  speaks  to 
her  shepherd  as  if  she  were  already  free,  inviting  him  to  go  to  the  country 
with  her,  and  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  life  there.  She  wishes  that  he  were  a 
brother  to  her,  that  she  might  manifest  her  attachment  to  him  in  public,  in- 
troduce him  into  her  mother's  house,  and  give  him  the  most  delicious  drinks. 
Then,  exhausted  with  the  strength  of  her  affection,  she  wishes  for  the  pres- 
ence and  embraces  of  her  lover,  and  beseeches  the  court  ladies  not  to  attempt 
to  turn  away  her  affection  from  him  (A'ii.  10-viii.  4). 

"  6.  ( viii.  5-14. )  —  The  shepherd  is  supposed  to  have  been  at  the  palace ;  and 
Solomon,  finding  her  proof  against  his  allurements,  had  set  her  free.  In  com- 
pany Avith  the  bridegroom,  she  returns  to  her  native  place,  and  visits  the 
apple-trees  where  they  had  first  pledged  their  vows.  Speaking  of  her  virtue 
and  innocence  as  things  invincible  to  temptation,  she  remmds  her  brothers 
of  what  they  had  said  about  her  preserving  or  losing  her  chastity  before  she 
was  man'iageable.  In  alluding  to  her  temptations,  she  says,  that  though 
Solomon  was  a  very  rich  man,  having  a  most  valuable  vineyard,  yet  that  she 
despised  all  his  possessions,  content  to  preserve  her  innocence.  In  conclu- 
sion, the  shepherd,  with  his  companions,  requests  of  her  a  song.  With  this 
she  complies,  as  she  sits  in  her  garden  invisible,  and  repeats  the  words  she  had 
already  sung  (ii.  17):  'Make  haste,  my  beloved;  and  be  thou  like  to  a  roe, 
or  to  a  young  hart,  upon  the  mountains  of  spices.'  The  mountains  of  sep- 
aration exist  no  longer:  mountains,  fragrant  with  spices,  take  their  place." 


168  INTRODUCTION    TO 

Parts  of  this  theory  appear  to  me  to  imply  immense  improba- 
bilities ;  as  seems  to  be  conceded  by  Dr.  Davidson,  if  the  existing 
arransement  of  the  Hebrew  text  came  from  the  author.  How  in- 
congruous,  for  instance,  is  chap.  viii.  8-10,  in  its  present  position, 
with  a  dramatic  plot  of  which  the  sister  there  mentioned  is  the 
heroine !  It  is  like  laying  the  foundation  after  the  house  is 
built. 

As  to  the  number  of  speakers  in  the  Canticles,  regarded  as  con- 
sisting of  separate  songs,  I  have  indicated  in  the  margin  those 
which  seemed  to  me  to  be  required.  If  any  reader  thinks  that 
more  speakers  are  necessary,  he  can  supply  them  according  to  his 
taste. 

That  this  book,  whether  consisting  of  one  dramatic  poem  or  of 
several  separate  songs  or  poems,  proceeded  from  one  author,  is  now 
so  general  an  opinion  of  the  best  critics,  that  it  is  not  necessary 
to  discuss  the  subject.  Whether  this  author  Avere  Solomon  admits 
of  greater  doubt.  When  we  consider  how  many  of  the  inscriptions 
in  the  Book  of  Psalms  are  at  variance  with  their  contents,  we  can- 
not attach  much  importance  to  the  title  of  ^is  book.  The  dic- 
tion,* in  its  Aramaean  character,  varies  so  much  from  that  of  the 
Proverbs,  that  many  modern  critics  have,  with  great  reason,  con- 
cluded that  it  proceeded  from  a  different  author.  There  are  also 
passages  which  do  not  well  harmonize  with  the  supposition  that 
Solomon  was  the  author;  such  as  chap.  i.  4,  5 ;  iii.  6-11;  vii.  5; 
viii.  11,  12.  If  Solomon  is  censured  in  the  book,  according  to  the 
dramatic  theory,  of  course  he  could  not  have  been  the  author. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  seem  to  be  several  allusions  to  the  cir- 
cumstances and  historical  relations  of  the  age  of  Solomon,  or  that 
immediately  succeeding  it.  (See  i.  4,  5,  9,  12  ;  iii.  7,  &c. ;  iv.  4  ;  vi. 
4,  8,  9  ;  viii.  11,  12.)  The  spirit  and  character  of  the  poetry  seem 
also  to  agree  well  with  the  most  nourishing  period  of  Hebrew  lit- 
erature. The  peculiar  diction  is  supposed  by  De  Wette  to  be 
susceptible  of  explanation  by  maintaining  that  these  songs  were 
preserved  orally  in  the  mouths  of  the  people,  and  were  thus  in 
some  measure  altered.  Others  seek  an  explanation  of  this  pecu- 
liarity in  the  province  of  Palestine,  to  which  the  writer  may  have 

*  On  this  topic,  see  the  Introductions  of  Jahn,  De  Wette,  or  Davidson. 


THE    CANTICLES.  169 

belonged.  Either  of  these  suppositions  appears  to  me  more  proba- 
ble than  that  the  author  wrote  long  after  the  Captivity,  and  trans- 
ferred himself  back  to  the  age  of  Solomon.  I  therefore  suppose 
the  Canticles  to  have  been  written  by  some  Jewish  poet,  either  in 
the  reign  of  Solomon  or  soon  after  it. 

For  a  list  of  interpreters  of  the  Canticles,  see  the  introduction 
to  this  book  in  Rosenmiiller's  Scholia.  Of  those  which  he  has  not 
mentioned,  I  have  seen  the  translations  and  notes  of  Bishop  Percy, 
Thomas  Williams,  and  John  Mason  Good.  In  this  edition,  I  have 
also  had  access  to  the  translations  and  commentaries  of  Heiligstedt, 
Hitzig,  and  Renan. 

Cambridge,  Jan.  10,  1867. 


THE    SONG    OF    SONGS. 


The  Song  of  Songs,  which  is  hy  Solomon. 


I. 

An  innocent  country  maiden,  in  a  company  of  ladies  of  Jerusalem,  is 
anxious  to  see  her  lover.  —  Chap.  I.  2-8. 

\_M.']  O  THAT  he  would  kiss  me  with  one  of  the  kisses 
of  his  mouth! 
For  thy  love  is  better  than  wine.. 
Because  of  the  savor  of  thy  precious  perfumes, 
(Thy  name  is  like  fragrant  oil  poured  forth,) 
Therefore  do  the  virgins  love  thee. 
Draw  me  after  thee  ;  let  us  run  ! 
The  king  hath  led  me  to  his  chambers  ! 
We  will  be  glad  and  rejoice  in  thee ; 
We  will  praise  thy  love  more  than  wine. 
Justly  do  they  love  thee ! 

I  am  black,  but  comely,  O  ye  daughters  of  Jerusalem, 
As  the  tents  of  Kedar,  as  the  curtains  of  Solomon. 
Gaze  not  upon  me  because  I  am  black, 
Because  the  sun  hath  looked  upon  me ! 
My  mother's  sons  were  angry  with  me ; 
They  made  me  keeper  of  the  vineyards ; 
My  vineyard,  my  own,  have  I  not  kept. 
Tell  me,  thou  whom  my  soul  loveth,  where  thou  feedest 

thy  flock. 
Where  thou  leadest  it  to  rest  at  noon  ; 
For  why  should  I  be  like  a  veiled  one  by  the  flocks  of  thy 


companions  ? 


[1711 


172  THE    SONG    OF    SONGS.  [chap.  u. 

8       [Zar?.]  If  thou  know  not,  O  thou  fairest  among  women, 
Trace  thou  thy  way  by  the  tracks  of  the  flock, 
And  feed  thy  kids  beside  the  shepherds'  tents ! 


II. 

Conversation  between  a  lover  and  maiden.  —  Chap.  I.  9.-11.  7. 

9       [Xov.]  To  the  horses  in  the  chariots  of  Pharaoh 
Do  I  compare  thee,  my  love ! 

10  Comely  are  thy  cheeks  with  rows  of  jewels, 
Thy  neck  with  strings  of  pearls. 

11  Golden  chains  will  we  make  for  thee. 
With  studs  of  silver. 

12  [Jf.]  While  the  king  reclineth  at  his  table, 
My  spikenard  sendeth  forth  its  fragrance. 

13  A  bunch  of  myrrh  is  my  beloved  to  me ; 
He  shall  abide  between  my  breasts. 

14  My  beloved  is  to  me  a  cluster  of  henna-flowers 
From  the  gardens  of  Engedi. 

15  [Zoy.]  Behold,  thou  art  fair,  my  love  ;  behold,  thou  art 

fair ! 
Thine  eyes  are  doves. 

16  [J/.]  Behold,  thou  art  fair,  my  beloved,  yea,  lovely ; 
And  green  is  our  bed. 

17  The  cedars  are  the  beams  of  our  house, 
And  its  roof  the  cypresses. 

1  I  am  a  rose  of  Sharon, 
A  lily  of  the  valleys. 

2  [Zov.]  As  the  lily  among  thorns. 
So  is  my  love  among  the  daughters. 

3  C^^-]  As  the  apple-tree  among  the  trees  of  the  forest, 
So  is  my  beloved  among  the  sons. 

In  his  shadow  I  love  to  sit  down, 
And  his  fruit  is  sweet  to  my  taste. 


CHAP.  II.]  THE    SONG    OF    SONGS.  173 

4  He  hath  brought  me  to  his  banqueting-house, 
And  his  banner  over  me  is  love. 
Strengthen  me  with  raisins, 

5  Refresh  me  with  apples  ! 
For  I  am  sick  with  love. 

6  His  left  hand  is  under  my  head, 
And  his  right  hand  embraceth  me ! 

7  \_Lov.'\  I  charge  you,  O  ye  daughters  of  Jerusalem, 
By  the  gazelles,  and  by  the  hinds  of  the  field. 

That  ye  stir  not  up,  nor  awake  my  love,  till  she  please ! 


in. 

The  maiden's  meeting  with  her  lover  in  the  vineyard.  —  Chap.  II.  8-17. 

8  [J!f.]  The  voice  of  my  beloved ! 
Behold,  he  cometh. 

Leaping  upon  the  mountains, 
Bounding  upon  the  hills. 

9  Like  a  gazelle  is  my  beloved, 
Or  a  young  hind. 

Behold,  he  standeth  behind  our  wall ; 
He  is  looking  through' the  windows  ; 
He  glanceth  through  the  lattice. 

10  My  beloved  speaketh,  and  saith  to  me, 

"  Rise  up,  my  love,  my  fair  one,  and  come  away  ! 

11  For,  lo,  the  winter  is  past. 
The  rain  is  over  and  gone ; 

12  The  flowers  appear  on  the  earth ; 

The  time  of  the  singing  of  birds  is  come. 

And  the  voice  of  the  turtle  is  heard  in  our  land ; 

13  The  fig-tree  is  spicing  its  green  fruit; 
The  vines  in  blossom  give  forth  fragrance. 
Arise,  my  love,  my  fair  one,  and  come  away ! 

14  O  my  dove,  that  art  in  the  recesses  of  the  rock. 
In  the  hiding-places  of  the  steep  craggy  mountain, 
Let  me  see  thy  face. 

Let  me  hear  thy  voice  ! 
For  sweet  is  thy  voice, 
And  thy  face  lovely.'* 


174  THE    SONG    OP    SONGS.  [chap.  m. 

15  Take  ye  for  us  the  foxes, 

The  little  foxes  that  spoil  the  vines ; 
For  our  vines  are  now  in  blossom. 

16  My  beloved  is  mine,  and  I  am  his; 
He  feedeth  among  the  lilies. 

17  When  the  day  breathes,  and  the  shadows  flee  away, 
Come  again,  my  beloved,  like  a  gazelle,  or  a  young  hind, 
Upon  the  craggy  mountains. 


IV. 

The  maiden's  search  for  her  lover.  —  Chap.  III.  1-5. 

1  C-^-]  Upon  my  bed,  in  the  night, 
I  sought  him  whom  my  soul  loveth ; 
I  sought  him,  but  found  him  not. 

2  I  will  arise  now  [said  I],  and  go  about  the  city ; 

In  the  streets  and  the  broad  ways  will  I  seek  him  whom 

my  soul  loveth  ; 
I  sought  him,  but  found  him  not. 

3  The  watchmen  who  go  about  the  city  found  me ; 

"  Have  you  seen  [said  I]  him  whom  my  soul  loveth  ?  " 

4  I  had  but  just  passed  them. 

When  I  found  him  w  horn  my  soul  loveth ; 
I  held  him,  and  would  not  let  him  go. 
Till  I  had  brought  him  into  my  mother's  house, 
Into  the  apartment  of  her  that  bore  me. 

5  [Zoi'.j  I  charge  you,  O  ye  daughters  of  Jerusalem ! 
By  the  gazelles,  and  by  the  hinds  of  the  field, 

That  ye  stir  not  up,  nor  awake  my  love,  till  she  please. 


V. 

A  song  relating  to  Solomon ;  or,  The  conducting  of  a  spouse  of  Solomon,  or 
of  a  maiden  beloved  by  him,  to  his  palace.  —  Chap.  III.  6-11. 

6       Who  is  this  that  cometh  up  from  the  wilderness, 
Like  pillars  of  smoke. 
Perfumed  with  myrrh  and  frankincense, 
With  all  the  powders  of  the  merchant  ? 


CHAP.  IV.]  THE    SONG    OF    SONGS.  175 

7  Behold,  the  carriage  of  Solomon  ! 
Threescore  valiant  men  are  around  it, 
Of  the  valiant  men  of  Israel. 

8  They  all  wear  swords,    • 
Being:  skilled  in  war. 

Every  one  hath  his  sword  girt  upon  his  thigh, 
On  account  of  danger  in  the  night. 

9  King  Solomon  made  for  himself  a  carriage 
Of  the  wood  of  Lebanon. 

10  The  pillars  thereof  he  made  of  silver, 
The  railing  of  gold. 

The  seat  of  purple, 

Its   interior   curiously  wrought   by  a   lovely  one   of  the 
daughters  of  Jerusalem. 

11  Go  forth,  O  ye  daughters  of  Zion! 
And  behold  King  Solomon 

In  the  crown  with  which  his  mother  crowned  him, 

In  the  day  of  his  espousals. 

In  the  day  of  the  gladness  of  his  heart. 


YI. 

Conversation  between  a  lover  and  maiden.  —  Chap.  IV.  -  V.  1. 

[Zov.]  Behold,  thou  art  fair,  my  love !  behold,  thou 

art  fair ! 
Thine  eyes  are  doves  behind  thy  veil ; 
Thy  locks  are  like  a  flock  of  goats 
Which  lie  down  on  mount  Gilead  ; 
Thy  teeth  are  like  a  flock  of  shorn  sheep, 
Which  come  up  from  the  washing-place. 
Of  which  every  one  beareth  twins. 
And  none  is  barren  among  them ; 
Thy  lips  are  like  a  thread  of  scarlet. 
And  thy  mouth  comely  ; 
Thy  cheeks  are  like  a  divided  pomegranate  behind  thy 

veil; 
Thy  neck  is  like  the  tower  of  David, 
Built  for  an  armory. 

In  which  there  hang  a  thousand  bucklers, 
All  shields  of  mighty  men ; 


176  THE    SONG    OF    SONGS.  [chap.  iv. 

6  Thy  two  breasts  are  like  two  young  twin  gazelles, 
That  feed  amonjj  the  lilies. 

6  When  the  day  breathes,  and  the  shadows  flee  away, 
I  will  betake  me  to  the  mountain  of  myrrh 

And  the  hill  of  frankincense. 

7  Thou  art  all  fair,  my  love ; 
There  is  no  spot  in  thee ! 

8  Come  with  me  from  Lebanon,  my  spouse, 
With  me  from  Lebanon ! 

Look  from  the  top  of  Amana, 
From  the  top  of  Senir  and  Hermon, 
From  the  dens  of  the  lions. 
From  the  mountains  of  the  leopards. 

9  Thou  hast  taken  captive  my  heart,  my  sister,  my  spouse ; 
Thou  hast  taken  captive  my  heart  with  one  of  thine  eyes, 
With  one  chain  of  thy  neck. 

10  How  sweet  is  thy  love,  my  sister,  my  spouse ! 
How  much  more  precious  thy  caresses  than  wine, 
And  the  fragrance  of  thy  perfumes  than  all  spices  ! 

11  Thy  lips,  O  my  spouse  !  drop  the  honeycomb ; 
Honey  and  milk  are  under  thy  tongue, 

And  the  fragrance  of  thy  garments  is  as  the  fragrance  of 
Lebanon. 

12  A  garden  inclosed  is  my  sister,  my  spouse ; 
A  spring  shut  up,  a  fountain  sealed  ; 

13  Thy  plants  are  an  orchard  of  pomegranates,  with  choicest 
Henna  and  spikenard,  [fruits, 

14  Spikenard  and  saffron. 
Sweet  cane  and  cinnamon, 
With  all  trees  of  frankincense ; 
Myrrh  and  aloes, 

With  all  the  chief  spices ; 

15  A  fountain  of  the  gardens, 
A  well  of  living  water, 

A  stream  that  floweth  from  Lebanon ! 

16  [^^]  Awake,  O  north  wind,  and  come,  thou  south  I 
Blow  upon  my  garden. 

That  its  spices  may  flow  out ! 

May  my  beloved  come  to  his  garden. 

And  eat  his  pleasant  fruits. 


CHAP,  v.]  THE    SONG    OF    SONGS.  177 

1       [^Lov."]  I  am  come  to  my  garden,  my  sister,  my  spouse ! 
I  gather  my  myrrh  with  my  balsam, 
I  eat  my  honeycomb  with  my  honey, 
I  drink  my  wine  with  my  milk. 
Eat,  O  friends ! 
Drink,  yea,  drink  abundantly,  my  loved  companions ! 


vn. 

The  maiden's  search  for  her  lover  by  night,  and  praise  of  his  beauty. 
Chap.  V.  2. -VI.  3. 

[J/!]  I  SLEPT,  but  my  heart  was  awake  ; 
It  was  the  voice  of  my  beloved,  who  was  knocking : 
"  Open  to  me,  my  sister,  my  love, 
My  dove,  my  perfect  one  ! 
For  my  head  is  filled  with  dew, 
And  my  locks  with  the  drops  of  the  night." 
"  I  have  taken  off  my  vest  £said  I]  ; 
How  shall  I  put  it  on  ? 
I  have  washed  my  feet ; 
How  shall  I  soil  them  ?  " 

My  beloved  put  in  his  hand  by\he  hole  of  the  door, 
And  my  heart  was  moved  for  him. 
I  rose  up  to  open  to  my  beloved, 
And  my  hands  dropped  with  myrrh, 
And  my  fingers  with  self-flowing  myrrh,  upon  the  handles 

of  the  bolt. 
I  opened  to  my  beloved ; 

But  my  beloved  had  withdrawn  himself,  and  was  gone. 
I  was  not  in  my  senses  while  he  spake  with  me ! 
I  sought  him,  but  could  not  find  him  ; 
I  called  him,  but  he  gave  me  no  answer. 
The  watchmen  that  go  about  the  city  found  me ; 
They  smote  me,  they  wounded  me ; 
The  keepers  of  the  walls  took  away  from  me  my  veil. 
I  charge  you,  0  ye  daughters  of  Jerusalem ! 
If  ye  should  find  my  beloved,  — 
What  will  ye  tell  him  ?  — 
That  I  am  sick  with  love. 

8* 


178  THE    SONG    OF    SONGS.  [chap.  vi. 

9      [Zac?.]  What  is  thy  beloved  more  than  another  beloved, 
O  thou  fairest  among  women ! 
What  is  thy  beloved  more  than  another  beloved, 
That  thus  thou  dost  charge  us  ? 

10  [M]  My  beloved  is  white  and  ruddy, 
The  chief  among  ten  thousand. 

11  His  head  is  as  the  most  fine  gold ; 
His  locks  waving  palm-branches, 
Black  as  a  raven  ; 

12  His  eyes  are  doves  by  streams  of  water. 
Washed  with  milk,  dwelling  in  fulness ; 

13  His  cheeks  are  like  a  bed  of  balsam, 
Like  beds  of  spices  ; 

His  lips  are  lilies 

Dropping  self-flowing  myrrh ; 

14  His  hands  are  gold  rings  set  with  chrysolite  ; 

His  body  is  wrought-work  of  ivory,  overlaid  with  sap- 
phires ; 

15  His  legs  are  marble  pillars,  resting  on  pedestals  of  fine 

gold;  ^ 
His  aspect  is  like  Lebanon, 
Majestic  like  the  cedars ; 

16  His  mouth  is  sweetness; 
His  whole  being,  loveliness. 
This  is  my  beloved. 

This  my  friend, 

O  ye  daughters  of  Jerusalem ! 

1  ^Lad.']  Whither  is  thy  beloved  gone,  thou  fairest  among 

women  ? 
Wliither  hath  thy  beloved  betaken  himself? 
That  wc  may  seek  him  with  thee. 

2  C^^-]  My  beloved  is  gone  down  to  his  garden, 
To  the  beds  of  balsam, 

To  feed  in  the  gardens. 
And  to  gather  lilies. 

3  I  am  my  beloved's,  and  my  beloved  is  mine ; 
He  feedeth  among  the  lilies. 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE    SONG    OF    SONGS.  179 

VIII. 

The  lover's  praise  of  the  object  of  his  attachment.  —  Chap.  VI.  4-9. 

4  Beautiful  art  thou,  my  love,  as  Tirzah, 
Lovely  as  Jerusalem ; 

But  terrible  as  an  army  with  bamiers. 

5  Turn  away  thine  eyes  from  me ! 
They  overpower  me ! 

Thy  locks  are  like  a  flock  of  goats. 
Which  lie  down  upon  Gilead. 

6  Thy  teeth  are  like  a  flock  of  sheep, 
Which  come  up  from  the  washing-place, 
Of  which  every  one  hath  twins. 

And  none  is  barren  among  them. 

7  As  a  divided  pomegranate 
Are  thy  cheeks  behind  thy  veil. 

8  Threescore  are  the  queens,  and  fourscore  the  concu- 

bines, 
And  the  maidens  without  number. 

9  But  my  dove,  my  undefiled,  is  the  one  ; 
She  is  the  incomparable  one  of  her  mother, 
The  darling  of  her  that  bore  her. 

The  daughters  saw  her,  and  blessed  her ; 

The  queens  and  concubines,  and  they  praised  her. 


IX. 

Conversation  between  a  lover  and  maiden.  —  Chap.  VI.  10  -  VIII.  4. 

10  [Xov.]  Who  is  this  that  looketh  forth  like  the  morning, 
Fair  as  the  moon,  bright  as  the  sun. 

And  terrible  as  an  army  with  banners  ? 

11  .    [ Jf.]  I  went  down  into  the  garden  of  nuts, 
To  see  the  green  plants  of  the  valley, 

To  see  whether  the  vine  blossomed. 
And  the  pomegranates  budded. 


180  THE    SONG    OF    SONGS.  [chap.  vn. 

12  Or  ever  I  was  aware, 

My  soul  had  made  me  like  the  chariots  of  the  prince's 

[train. 

13  [Xac?.]  Return,  return,  O  Shulamite  ! 
Return,  return,  that  we  may  look  upon  thee ! 

[il[f.]  Why  should  ye  look  upon  the  Shulamite, 
As  upon  a  dance  of  the  hosts  ? 

1  [Zov.]  How  beautiful  are  thy  feet  in  sandals,  0  prince's 

dauo^hter ! 
The  roundings  of  thy  hips  are  like  neck  ornaments, 
The  work  of  the  hands  of  the  artificer ; 

2  Thy  navel  is  like  a  round  goblet,  that  wanteth  not  the 

spiced  wine; 
Thy  belly  like  a  heap  of  wheat,  inclosed  with  lilies ; 

3  Thy  two  breasts  are  like  two  young  twin  gazelles ; 

4  Thy  neck  is  as  a  tower  of  ivory ; 

Thine  eyes  are  like  the  pools  at  Heshbon,  by  the  gate  of 

Bath-rabbim ; 
Thy  nose  is  as  the  tower  of  Lebanon,  which  looketh  toward 

Damascus ; 

5  Thy  head  upon  thee  is  like  Carmel, 
And  the  hair  of  thy  head  like  purple ; 
The  king  is  captivated  by  thy  locks. 

6  How  fair,  how  pleasant  art  thou,  love,  in  delights ! 

7  This  thy  stature  is  like  the  palm-tree. 
And  thy  breasts  like  clusters  of  dates. 

8  I  will  go  up,  say  I  to  myself,  upon  the  palm-tree ; 
I  will  take  hold  of  its  boughs, 

And  thy  breasts  shall  be  as  clusters  of  the  vine, 
And  the  fragrance  of  thy  nose  like  apples, 

9  And  thy  mouth  like  the  best  wine  — 

[ifc/i]  —  that  goetli  down  smoothly  for  my  beloved, 
Flowing  over  the  lips  of  them  that  sleep. 

10  I  am  my  beloved's. 

And  his  desire  is  toward  me. 

11  Come,  my  beloved,  let  us  go  forth  into  the  country ; 
Let  us  lodge  in  the  villages ! 


CHAP.  VIII.]  THE    SONG    OF    SONGS.  181 

12  Then  will  we  go  early  to  the  vineyards, 
To  see  whether  the  vine  putteth  forth, 
Whether  its  blossom  openeth, 

And  the  pomegranates  bud  forth ; 
There  will  I  give  thee  my  love ! 

13  The  love-apples  give  forth  fragrance ; 

And  at  our  doors  are  all  kinds  of  precious  fruits,  new  and 

old: 
I  have  kept  them  for  thee,  my  beloved ! 

1  O  that  thou  wert  as  my  brother, 
That  sucked  the  breast  of  my  mother ! 
When  I  found  thee  abroad,  I  might  kiss  thee ; 
And  for  it  no  one  would  deride  me. 

2  I  will  lead  thee,  and  bring  thee  into  my  mother's  house, 

that  thou  mayst  teach  me  ; 
I  will  give  thee  spiced  wine  to  drink,  and  the  juice  of  my 
pomegranates. 

3  His  left  hand  is  under  my  head. 
And  his  right  hand  embraceth  me. 

4  [Zov.]  I  charge  you,  O  ye  daughters  of  Jerusalem  ! 
That  ye  stir  not  up,  nor  awake  my  love, 

Till  she  please ! 


X. 

Chorus  of  ladies,  maiden,  and  lover.  — Chap.  Vni,  5-7. 

5       [^Lad."]  Who  is  this  that  cometh  up  from  the  wilder- 
ness, 
Leaning  upon  her  beloved  ? 

[J/!]  Under  the  apple-tree  I  awakened  thee ; 
There  thy  mother  brought  thee  forth  ; 
There  she  that  bore  thee  brought  thee  forth  I 
'  O  set  me  as  a  seal  upon  thy  heart. 
As  a  seal  upon  thine  arm ! 
For  love  is  strong  as  death ; 
True  love  is  firm  as  the  grave : 


182  THE    SONG    OF    SONGS.  [chap.  vm. 

Its  flames  are  flames  of  Aire, 
The  fire  of  Jehovah. 
7  Many  waters  cannot  quench  love, 
Nor  can  floods  drown  it. 

"Would  a  man  give  all  the  wealth  of  his  house  for  love, 
It  would  be  utterly  contemned. 


XL 

A  conversation  of  two  brothers  about  their  sister,  with  her  remarks. 
Chap.  VIII.  8-12. 

8  C-^^']  We  have  a  sister  who  is  yet  young ; 
She  is  yet  without  breasts. 

What  shall  we  do  with  our  sister. 
When  she  shall  be  spoken  for  ? 

9  If  she  be  a  wall, 

-  We  will  build  upon  it  a  silver  tower ; 
If  she  be  an  open  gate, 
We  will  inclose  her  with  planks  of  cedar. 

10  [aSV^.]  I  am  a  wall,  and  my  breasts  like  towers  ; 
Therefore  am  I  become  in  his  eyes  as  one  that  findeth 

[peace. 

11  Solomon  had  a  vineyard  at  Baal-hamon ; 
He  let  out  the  vineyard  to  keepers ; 

Every  one  was  to  bring  a  thousand  shekels  of  silver  for 
its  fruit. 

12  My  vineyard  is  before  my  eyes. 
Be  thine  the  thousand,  0  Solomon ! 

And  two  hundred  to  the  keepers  of  its  fruit ! 


xn. 

The  lover  sent  away.    A  fragment.  —  Chap.  Vlll.  13, 14. 

13  [Zov.]  Thou  that  dwellest  in  the  gardens  ! 
Friends  listen  to  thy  voice  ; 

Let  me  hear  thee ! 

14  Fly,  my  beloved !  like  a  gazelle,  or  a  young  hind, 
Upon  the  mountains  of  spices. 


NOTES. 


NOTES    ON    JOB. 


I. 


In  the  first  two  chapters  is  contained  a  brief  account  of  the  excellent 
character  and  flourishing  condition  of  Job;  —  of  the  afflictions  decreed  in 
heaven  to  be  sent  upon  him,  and  the  design  of  those  afflictions,  namely,  to 
prove  the  disinterestedness  and  firmness  of  his  integrity  and  piety ;  —  of 
the  actual  occurrence  of  these  afflictions,  and  of  Job's  conduct  under 
them ;  —  and  of  the  visit  of  three  of  his  friends  to  mourn  with  him  and 
comfort  him. 

The  character  of  this  introduction,  so  far  as  it  relates  to  the  upper 
world,  is  thus  given  by  Scott :  "  This  is  not  history,  but  a  piece  of  allegori- 
cal scenery.  The  noble  instruction  which  it  veileth  is,  that  God  governs  the 
world  by  the  instrumentality  of  second  causes,  that  the  evils  of  human  life 
are  under  his  direction,  and  that  the  afflictions  of  good  men  are  appointed 
by  him  for  the  illustration  of  their  virtue,  and  for  advancing,  by  that 
means,  the  honor  of  religion."  The  learned  Mr.  Poole  also  observes: 
**  You  must  not  think  that  these  things  were  really  done  ;  .  .  .  but 
it  is  only  a  parabolical  representation  of  that  great  truth,  that  God,  by  his 
wise  and  holy  providence,  doth  govern  all  the  actions  of  men  and  devils  to 
his  own  ends."  Considered  as  a  part  of  the  whole  work,  the  design  of 
these  chapters  is  to  suggest  the  subject  of  discussion,  and,  in  part,  to 
illustrate  it;  and  also  to  dispose  the  reader  to  a  favorable  opinion  of  Job 
See  introduction,  p.  18. 

Ch.  I.  1.  —  Job.  The  most  probable  meaning  of  the  name  is  persecuted, 
harassed.     See  Ges.  ad  verb. 

3.  —  three  thousand  camels.  The  Arabs  used  these  animals  in  war,  in 
their  caravans,  and  for  food.  One  of  their  ancient  poets,  whose  hospitality 
grew  into  a  proverb,  is  reported  to  have  killed  yearly,  in  a  certain  month, 
ten  camels  every  day,  for  the  entertainment  of  his  friends.  Scott,  from 
Schultens  and  Pococke.  We  have  here  the  description  of  the  wealth  of  an 
Arab  ruler,  or  chief,  similar  to  those  who  at  the  present  day  are  called 
£mir8. 

[185] 


186  NOTES. 

4.  — each  on  his  day  :  i  e.  on  the  day  in  which  it  fell  to  him  in  course 
to  give  a  feast. 

5.  —  sanctify  :  by  ablutions  and  other  observances.  See  Exod.  xix.  10, 
14;  Josh.  vii.  13. —  renounced  God  in  their  hearts:  i.  e.  been  unmindful 
of  him,  disraissel  him  from  their  thoughts,  or  withheld  the  reverence  and 
homage  which  are  his  due.  It  is  hardly  credible  that  Job  suspected  his 
children  of  cursing  God.  He  was  only  apprehensive  lest  the  gayety  of  a 
festival  had  made  them  forget  God,  and  neglect  his  service  and  worship. 
The  term  Ty^  generally  signifies  to  bless.     It  was  the  term  of  salutation 

between  friends  at  meeting  and  parting.  See  Gen.  xxviii.  3,  xlvii.  10.  In 
the  latter  use  of  it,  it  corresponded  to  the  English  phrase  to  bid  farewell 
tOf  and  like  that,  came  to  be  used  in  a  bad  sense  for  to  renounce,  to  aban- 
don, to  dismiss  from  the  mind,  to  disregard.  It  may  imply  disregard, 
neglect,  renunciation,  or  abhorrence,  according  to  the  connection  in  which 
it  is  used.  Xa'i'nn  in  Greek,  and  valere  in  Latin,  are  used  in  the  same  way. 
Thus  Eurip.  Med.  1044.:  Or  r^^r'  ^yi-r/t*  /uinhn  (iovXhi'uara.  And  Cicero, 
in  a  letter  to  Atticus  (VIII.  8  ),  in  which  he  complains  of  the  disgraceful 
flight  of  Pompey,  applies  to  him  a  quotation  from  Aristophanes  :  noi.Va 
Xu'iQgiv  ti  I  Ml  Taj  y.a'/.u,  bidding  farewell  to  honor,  he  fled  to  Brundusium. 
Another  instance  of  this  use  of  valere  is  in  Ter.  And.  IV.  2.  14.:  Valeant^ 
qui  inter  nos  dissidium  volunt.  Also  in  Cic.  de  Nat.  Deor.  1.  44.  near  the 
end  :  Deinde  si  maxime  talis  est  Deus,  ut  nulla  gratia,  nulla  hominum 
caritate  teneatur,  valeat ! 

6.  —  sons  of  God  :  i.  e.  the  angels.     See  ch.  xxxviii.  7;  Dan.  iii.  25,  28. 

—  Satan.  There  has  been  a  question  whether  by  the  person  denomi- 
nated Satan  in  this  chapter  is  denoted  the  malignant  spirit,  the  enemy  of 
God  and  man,  otherwise  called  the  Devil;  or  one  of  the  sons  of  God,  a 
faithful,  but  too  suspicious,  servant  of  .Jehovah. 

This  latter  opinion  has  been  defended  by  some  critics,  because  they 
could  not  easily  account  for  the  presence  of  the  Devil  in  heaven  amongst 
the  angels  of  God,  and  for  his  free  conversation  with  Jehovah ;  by  others, 
because  they  regarded  the  belief  in  the  Devil  as  having  had  no  existence 
amongst  the  Jews  until  their  return  from  the  Babylonish  captivity,  and,' 
consequently,  as  inconsistent  with  their  opinion  of  the  high  antiquity  of 
the  book.  But  the  disposition  ascribed  to  Satan  in  the  narrative  is  not 
very  consistent  with  this  view.  Nor  Js  there  any  strong  argument  to  show 
that  a  belief  in  evil  spirits  may  not  Ivive  arisen  among  the  Jews  at  least  a 
short  time  before  the  captivity,  in  cmsequence  of  their  intercourse  with 
foreigners.  Satan  appears,  in  this  passage,  in  the  office  indicated  by  his 
name,  that  of  the  adversary,  the  accus**r,  the  office  uniformly  ascribed  to 
him  by  the  later  Jews.  See  Zech.  iii.  1  2;  Rev,  xii.  10.  See  also  Christian 
Examiner,  for  May,  1836,  p.  230.  It  is  observed  by  Rosenmiiller,  that 
in  the  life  of  Zoroaster, (see  Zendavesta,  by  J.  G.  Kleukner,  vol.  iii.  p.  11,) 


JOB.  18T 

the  prince  of  the  evil  demons,  the  angel  of  death,  called  Engremeniosk,  is 
said  to  go  about  the  earth  for  the  purpose  of  opposing  and  injuring  good 
men, 

II.  —  toill  he  renounce  thee.  The  phrase  is  stronger  here  than  in  verse 
5.  It  imports  an  utter  and  public  renunciation  of  religion  as  a  vain  thing. 
Scott. 

15.  — Sabeans:  inhabitants  of  Sheba,  a  country  of  Arabia  Felix,  abound 
ing  in  spices,  gold,  and  precious  stones.  1  Kings  x.  1,  &c.;  Is.  Ix.  6;  Ps. 
Ixxii.  10,  15. 

16. — Jire  of  God:  i.  e.  lightning;  which  has  a  similar  appellation  in 
Eurip.  Med.  144 : 

Ai,  ai  •   did  fwv  K€(f)aXas  (^Xb^  ovpauia 

BaiTj. 

Alas  !  alas!     May  the  fire  of  heaven 

Strike  through  my  head ! 

17.  —  Chaldeans:  a  fierce  and  warlike  people,  who  originally  inhabited 
the  Carduchian  mountains,  north  of  Assyria,  and  the  northern  part  of 
Mesopotamia,  portions  of  whom  settled  in  Babylonia  and  founded  a  mighty 
empire.     They  are  described  in  Hab.  i.  6-11. 

20,  —  rerit  his  mantle,  and  shaved  his  head.  The  custom  of  rending  the 
mantle,  as  an  expression  of  grief,  is  said  to  prevail  at  the  present  day  in 
Persia,  and,  like  that  of  shaving  the  head,  to  have  been  common -amongst 
several  nations  of  antiquity.  Herodotus  (II.  26)  remarks,  that  the  latter 
was  the  practice  of  all  nations  except  the  Egyptians,  in  cases  of  mourning. 

21.  —  ?«y  mother's  ivomb:  i.  e.  the  womb  of  the  earth,  the  universal 
mother  ;  for  he  speaks  of  returning  thither.  The  same  figure  is  found  in 
several  languages.  See  Cic.  de  Nat.  Deor.  II.  26.  —  blessed  be  the  name, 
Sfc.  Here  the  contrast  is  observable  between  the  object  of  Satan,  which 
was  to  induce  Job  to  renounce  God,  and  the  issue  of  the  temptation,  in 
which  Job  blesses  God. 

Ch.  II.  4.  Skin  for  skin,  Sfc.  This  is  a  proverbial  expression,  im- 
porting, as  is  generally  supposed,  that  any  man  will  give  the  skin  or  life 
of  another,  whether  animal  or  man,  to  save  his  own.  The  observation  of 
Satan  will  then  imply  that  Job  gave  up  all,  without  complaint,  from  the 
selfish  fear  of  exposing  his  own  life  to  danger.  Others  understand  the 
term  "skin"  to  denote  "the  life."  The  proverb  will  then  be,  "Life  for 
life  " ;  i.  e.  Nothing  is  so  precious  as  life.  All  other  calamities  are  light, 
compared  with  those  which  threaten  one's  own  life.  Others,  like  for  like, 
i.  e.  what  a  man  holds  as  dear  as  his  skin,  i.  e.  his  life,  he  will  give  for  his 
life. 

7.  It  is  generally  supposed  that  Job  was  afflicted  with  that  species  of 
leprosy  called  elephantiasis,  the  elephant  disease ;  so  called  from  its  cov- 
ering the  skin  with  dark  scaios,  and  swelling  the  mouth,  legs,  and  feet  to 


188  NOTES. 

an  enormous  size,  although  the  body  at  the  same  time  is  emaciated.  See 
Deut.  xxviii.  35.  The  pain  is  said  not  to  be  very  great,  but  there  is  a 
great  debility  of  the  system,  and  great  uneasiness  and  grief.  See  Jahn's 
Archaeology,  §  189. 

9.  Renounce  God,  and  die  :  i.  e,  since  you  must  die.  Since  your 
exemplary  piety  has  been  of  no  use  to  you,  give  it  up;  renounce  God;  de- 
sist from  your  idle  prayers  and  praises,  and  look  to  death  as  the  only  ter- 
mination of  your  miseries,  the  only  fruit  of  your  virtue  which  you  will 
ever  receive.     Schultens.     See  i.  5,  and  the  note. 

But,  perhaps,  the  common  meaning  of  the  verb  "^ll,  to  bless,  has  some 

claim  to  consideration.  According  to  this  rendering,  Job's  wife  ironically 
exhorts  him  to  go  on  blessing  God,  since  he  received  such  precious  returns 
for  it.  Bless  God,  and  die  :  i.  e.  Bless  God  ever  so  much,  thou  wilt  die 
after  all.  I  am  inclined  to  believe,  however,  that  the  term  means  here 
what  it  does  in  the  nearly  connected  passages,  ver.  5  and  11. 

10.  In  all  this  Job  sinned  not  with  his  lips.  The  author  repeats  this 
circumstance  a  second  time,  in  order  to  excite  the  attention  of  the  reader 
to  what  follows,  viz. ,  the  conduct  of  Job  with  respect  to  his  reverence  for 
the  Deity,  and  the  changes  which  accumulated  misery  might  produce  in 
his  temper  and  behavior.  Accordingly  we  find  that  another  still  more  se- 
vere tri%l  of  his  patience  yet  awaits  him,  and  which,  indeed,  as  the  writer 
seems  to  intimate,  he  scarcely  appears  to  have  sustained  with  equal  firm- 
ness; namely,  the  unjust  suspicions,  the  bitter  reproaches,  and  the  violent 
altercations  of  his  friends.     Lowth. 

11.  —  Temaniie.  Teraan  was  one  of  the  principal  cities  of  Edom,  or 
Idumea,  distinguished  for  its  wise  men.  See  Jer.  xlix.  7;  Obad.  8,  9. 
Amos.  i.  12.  —  Shuhite.  Shuah,  a  son  of  Abraham  by  Keturah,  was 
sent  by  him  into  the  E;ist  country.  Gen.  xxv.  2,  6.  From  him  may  have 
descended  the  Shuhites.  Gesenius  observes  that  the  country  of  the 
Shuhites  was  not  improbably  the  same  with  the  -axy-u  ■  of  Ptolemy,  5, 
15,  eastward  of  Batanea.  — JVaamaihite  an  inhabitant  of  Naamah,  a 
place  whose  situation  is  unknown.  It  could  not  be  the  same  which  is  men- 
tioned in  Josh.  XV.  41. 

12.  13.  When  they  saw  him,  at  the  distance  at  which  they  could  for- 
merly recognize  him  without  diflBculty,  disease  had  so  altered  his  appear- 
ance, that  at  first  sight  they  knew  him  not.  The  expression  of  his  grief 
resembles,  in  several  circumstances,  that  of  Achilles,  when  informed  of  the 
death  of  Patroclus.     Ilia<l,  xviii.  21  -  27. 

Seven  days  was  the  customary  time  of  mourning  among  the  Orientals. 
See  Gen.  1.  10;  1  Sam.  xxxi.  13;  and  Ecclesiasticus,  xxii.  13.  "  Seven  days 
do  men  mourn  for  him  that  is  dead."  It  is  not  meant  that  they  remained 
in  the  same  place  and  posture  for  the  space  of  seven  days,  but  that  they 
mourned  with  him  during  that  time,  in  the  usual  way.    —  and  none  spake 


JOB.  189 

a  word  to  him.  Poole  remarks  that  the  meaning  probably  is,  that  no  one 
spake  a  word  to  him  about  his  afflictions,  and  the  causes  of  them.  But  as 
this  is  not  in  the  text,  it  seems  more  probable  that  the  seven  days'  silence 
is  only  a  poetical  or  oriental  exaggeration,  designed  to  express  the  pro- 
found amazement  of  the  friends  of  Job,  on  account  of  the  condition  in 
which  they  found  him.     It  may  be  compared  with  Ch.  xlii.  12,  13,  14. 


II. 


At  the  end  of  the  seven  days  of  mourning,  when  no  hopes  of  recovery 
from  his  afflicted  condition  were  entertained  by  Job,  and  not  a  word  of  con- 
solation had  been  offered  by  his  friends,  he  unburdens  his  heart  in  the 
strongest  language  of  complaint,  lamentation,  and  despair.  He  cufses  the 
day  of  his  birth,  and  longs  for  death,  as  the  only  refuge  from  his  miseries. 

The  poet  has  secured  the  sympathy  of  the  reader  in  favor  of  Job  by  the 
introductory  chapters  upon  the  cause  of  his  afflictions,  and  by  the  declara- 
tion of  Jehovah,  that  he  was  "  an  upright  and  good  man ;  "  so  that  in  this 
place,  and  throughout  the  poem,  we  are  more  inclined  to  pity  him  for  his 
afflictions  than  to  censure  him  for  his  irreverent  language. 

Ch.  III.  2.  — spake.     The  verb  nj;?,  used  of  a  person  beginning  to  speak, 

appears,  says  Gesenius,  to  be  peculiar  to  the  later  Hebrew. 

3.  —  the  day,  Sj-c.  The  birth  of  a  son  was  one  of  three  great  occasions 
of  festivity  among  the  Arabians.  The  other  two  were  the  birth  of  a  foal 
of  a  valued  race,  and  the  rising  up  of  a  poetical  genius  in  any  of  their 
tribes.  When  an  Arabian  gave  his  daughter  in  marriage  to  a  person  whom 
he  approved,  he  used  the  benediction,  "Facilis  sit  tibi  partus,  et  masculos 
parias,  non  foeminas  !  "  Pococke.  Spec.  Hist.  Arab.  pp.  160,337.  — And 
the  night,  ^c. :  i.  e.  which  was  privy  to  my  conception  ;  a  bold  personifica- 
tion, as  in  verse  10,  and  xxx.  17.  The  Arabic  poets  delight  to  personify 
the  day  and  the  night  in  this  way,  as  is  shown  by  various  quotations  in 
Schultens  ad  loc.     See  also  Burder's  Oriental  Customs,  No.  490. 

4. — seek  it.     This  is  the  primary  meaning  of  the  word  ii/~^"i,  and  admits 

of  a  good  explanation.  The  poet  seems  to  conceive  of  the  day  as  sunk 
beneath  the  horizon,  or  in  the  deep  waters  by  which  he  supposed  the  earth 
to  be  surrounded.  He  prays  that  God  may  not  seek  it,  and  bring  it  from 
its  dark  abode.  The  secondary  meaning,  regard,  care  for,  though  perfectly 
allowable,  is  less  poetic. 

5. — shadow  of  death:  i.  e.  thick  darkness  ;  or,  a  black  and  dark  shadow, 
like  that  of  the  dead.  — redeem  it:  i.  e.  resume  their  dominion  over  it, 
excluding  the  light.     Thus  the  common  meaning  of  '7XJ  gives  a  highly 


190  NOTES. 

poetical  sense  to  the  line.  — whatever  darkens  the  day :  lit.  ohscur atiom 
of  the  day.  By  obscurations  of  the  day,  I  suppose  he  understands  eclipses, 
dreadful  storms,  &c.  Less  probably,  deadly  heats  of  the  day :  i.  e.  in- 
tolerable sultriness,  which  causes  pestilence.  Some  writers  suppose  that 
there  is  a  reference  here  to  the  poisonous  wind  Samum,  or  Samiel,  which  is 
feared  in  the  hottest  months  of  summer.  But  it  appears  from  the  testi- 
mony of  modem  travellers  that  the  injurious  effects  of  this  wind  have  been 
very  much  exaggerated.  See  Robinson's  Calmet,  Art.  Wind.  Other- 
wise, the  bitterness f  or  the  misfortunes  of  the  day  ;  J  being  considered  only 
as  the  particle  of  emphasis,  as  it  is  often  used. 

7.  O  let  that  night  he  unfruitful  !  i.  e.  May  there  be  no  births  in  that 
night  !  See  Ch.  xxx.  3,  and  the  note.  —  no  voice  of  joy :  i.  e.  on  account 
of  the  birth  of  a  son.     See  note  on  verse  3. 

8.  Who  are  skilful  to  stir  up  the  leviathan  !  In  all  other  parts  of  the 
sacred  writings,  in   which  the  word  |n''lS  occurs,  it  denotes  an  animal. 

Nearly  all  the  ancient  versions,  and  nearly  all  the  modern  critics,  consider 
it  as  the  name  of  an  animal  here.  It  seems  to  be  a  common  name  to  denote 
monstrous  animals  of  different  kinds,  as  a  huge  serpent,  the  crocodile,  &c. 
Here  it  may  denote  a  monstrous  serpent.  In  Ch.  xli.  1,  the  crocodile.  See 
Ges.  ad  verb.  The  verse  probably  refers  to  a  class  of  persons  who  were 
supposed  to  have  the  power  of  making  any  day  fortunate  or  unfortunate, 
to  control  future  events,  and  even  to  call  forth  the  most  terrific  monsters 
from  impenetrable  forests,  or  from  the  deep,  for  the  gi-atification  of  their 
own  malice,  or  that  of  others.  Balaam,  whom  Balak  sent  for  to  curse 
Israel,  affords  evidence  of  the  existence  of  a  class  of  persons  who  were 
supposed  to  be  capable  of  producing  evil  by  their  imprecations.  See 
Numb.  xxii.  10,  11.  Job  calls  upon  the  most  powerful  of  these  sorcerers 
to  assist  him  in  cursing  the  day  of  his  birth. 

9.  JVeither  let  it  see  the  eyelashes  of  the  morning  ■'  This  is  the  literal 
version,  and  contains  an  image  too  beautiful  to  be  thrown  away.  So  Soph. 
Antig.  104.  : 

ifpur^tjg  77ot',  td  /Qvoiag 
uiiiQuc  (if.iipaooVf  Ato/cal- 
biv  vntQ  Qii^fiwr  ^oXovoa. 

So  in  Milton's  Lycidas  : 

"  ere  the  high  lawns  appeared 

Under  the  opening  eyelids  of  the  dawn, 
We  drove  afield." 

The  sun,  when  above  the  horizon,  is  called  by  the  poets  the  eye  of  day  : 
hence  his  earliest  beams,  before  he  is  risen,  are  the  eyelids,  or  eyelashes,  of 


JOB.  191 

the  morning.  Schultens  observes,  that  the  Arabian  poets  compare  the  sun 
to  an  eye,  and  attribute  eyelashes  to  it.     See  ad  loc. 

12.  Why  did  the  knees  receive  me  ?  Why  did  the  officious  midwife 
receive  me,  and  lay  me  upon  her  lap,  and  not  suffer  me  to  fall  to  the 
ground  and  perish  ?  Or  it  may  refer  to  the  father,  as  it  was  usual  for  him 
to  take  the  child  upon  his  knees  as  soon  as  it  was  born,  and  thus  to 
declare  that  it  was  his  own,  and  that  he  intended  to  bring  it  up.  Gen.  1. 
23.     See  Jahn's  Archaeol.  §  161. 

14.  Who  built  up  for  themselves — ruins!  i.  e.  splendid  palaces,  or, 
perhaps,  tombs,  destined  soon  to  fall  into  ruins.  See  Is.  xliv.  26.  In  the 
form  of  expression,  the  line  is  similar  to  Hab.  ii.  13  ;  Jer.  li.  58. 

That  nations  shall  labor  for  fire. 

And  kingdoms  weary  themselves  for  nought. 

i.  e.  for  that  which  shall  be  burnt  up,  &c.  Otherwise,  The  repairers  of 
desolated  places  ;  a  circumstance  mentioned  to  show  their  wealth,  grandeur 
and  glory.     See  Is.  Iviii.  12,  Ixi.  4  ;  Ezek.  xxxvi.  10. 

20.  The  name  of  the  Supreme  Being  is  often  omitted  in  this  book,  and 
the  pronoun  made  to  supply  its  place.  In  such  cases  the  pronoun  is 
printed,  in  this  version,  with  a  capital  letter.  This  corresponds  to  the 
custom  in  Scotland,  where  they  say,  "  May  His  will  be  done  !  "  "  May 
His  name  be  praised  !  "  without  an  antecedent  to  the  pronoun.  So  in 
Scott's  Black  Dwarf,  near  the  end  of  Chap.  VII.  : 

*'  0,  my  child,  before  you  run  on  danger  let  me  hear  you  but  say,  '  His 
will  be  done  ! '  " 

"  Urge  me  not,  mother  —  not  now."  He  was  rushing  out,  when,  looking 
back,  he  observed  his  grandmother  make  a  mute  attitude  of  affliction.  He 
returned  hastily,  threw  himself  into  her  arms,  and  said,  •'  Yes,  mother,  I 
can  say,  '  His  will  be  done  ! '  since  it  will  comfort  you." 

"  May  He  go  forth  —  may  He  go  forth  with  you,  mj  dear  bairn  :  and  0, 
may  He  give  you  cause  to  say,  on  your  return,  '  His  name  be  praised  !  '  " 

23.  — from  whom,  the  way  is  hid,  ^-c.  :  i.  e.  who  knows  not  which  way 
to  turn  himself  ;  who  can  see  no  way  of  escape  from  the  miseries,  which, 
in  the  latter  clause  of  the  verse,  are  represented  as  surrounding  him,  as 
with  a  high  wall  or  hedge. 

24.  —  my  sighing  cometh  before  Teat :  i.  e.  it  cometh  on  when  I  begin  to 
eat,  and  prevents  my  taking  my  necessary  nourishment.  So  Juv.  Sat.  xiii. 
211.  : 

Perpetua  anxietas,  nee  mensae  tempore  cessat. 

25  for  that  which  I  dread,  8fC.  I  understand  this  as  referring  to  con- 
tinual fears  caused  by  the  disease,  which  fears  are  said  not  to  be  greater 
than  his  actual  miseries.  See  note  on  ii.  7,  where  uneasiness  and  grief  are 
said  to  be  caused  by  the  disease. 


192  NOTES. 


HI 

In  the  fourth  and  fifth  chapters,  Eliphaz,  one  of  the  three  friends  who  had 
come  to  comfort  Job,  is  represented  as  constrained  by  his  intemperate 
language  to  express  those  sentiments,  and  vent  those  suspicions,  which  the 
view  of  his  miserable  condition  had  suggested,  and  which,  from  pity  and 
delicacy,  had  been  hitherto  suppressed.  The  inhumanity  of  Eliphaz  and 
the  other  friends  of  Job,  which  by  many  is  thought  unnatural,  serves  to 
introduce  and  help  forward  the  discussion  of  the  moral  question  which  it 
was  the  main  design  of  the  poem  to  illustrate. 

He  reproves  Job's  impatience,  and  exhorts  him  not  to  give  way  to  grief 
and  despondency,  but  to  put  in  practice  those  lessons  which  he  had  so 
often  recommended  to  others.  He  then  advances  the  doctrine  which  he  and 
his  friends  maintain  throughout  the  poem,  that  misery  implies  guilt  ;  and 
insinuates  that  the  wickedness  of  Job  was  the  cause  of  his  present  afiiic- 
tions.  Ch.  iv.  2-11.  In  support  of  his  views  he  brings  forward  a 
revelation  which  he  pi'ofesses  to  have  formerly  received  in  a  vision.  This 
revelation  asserts  the  exceeding  imperfection  of  human  virtue,  the  absolute 
rectitude  of  God,  and  the  impiety  of  arraigning  the  justice  of  his  moral 
government.  The  oracle  itself  is  therefore  excellent.  It  is  the  application 
of  it  in  which  Eliphaz  is  mistaken.  He  has  erroneous  notions  of  what  the 
justice  of  God  requires.  He  supposes  that  it  implies  that  all  suffering 
must  be  the  punishment  of  sin  ;  and  he  seems  to  condemn  Job  not  only 
for  his  actual  complaints,  but  also  for  not  regarding  and  acknowledging 
his  afflictions  to  be  the  merited  punishment  of  his  transgressions.     12-  21. 

In  the  fifth  chapter  he  is  more  direct,  as  well  as  more  severe,  in  his 
censures,  and  exhorts  Job  to  humble  himself  before  God,  and  repent  of  his 
sins.  He  assures  him  that,  by  such  a  course,  he  may  regain  his  former 
prosperity. 

Ch.  IV.  5.     But  noiv  it,  i.  e.  calamity,  8fC. 

6.  Is  not  thy  fear,  ^c.  These  words  may  be  understood  as  a  friendly 
admonition  to  Job  to  I'ecollect  his  religious  principles,  and  to  support  him- 
self by  the  clearness  of  his  conscience.  On  the  other  hand,  they  may  im- 
port that  no  good  man  would  fall  into  despair  under  affliction,  as  he  had 
done.     Thei'e  is  an  appeai'ance  of  art  in  this  ambiguity.     Scott. 

As  the  substantive  verb  is  understood,  some  critics  prefer  to  render  it 
thus  : 

Was  not  thy  fear  of  God  thy  hope  ? 
And  the  uprightness  of  thy  ways  thine  expectation  ? 
i.  e.     Did  not  thy  piety  and  integrity  spring  from  the  hope  of  reward, 
from  a  regard  to  thine  own  interest,  rather  than  from  the  love  of  God  ? 
So  Mercier,  and  Castalio,  whose  version  is. 


JOB.  193 

Nimirum  tantum  religionis,  quantum  expectationis ; 
Quantum  spei,  tantum  habebas  integi-itatis  morum. 

This  corresponds  with  the  question  of  Satan,  "  Is  it  for  nought  that  Job 
feareth  God?'' 

7,  8.  These  expressions,  also,  may  be  understood  as  a  consolatory  argu- 
ment to  confirm  the  hope  which  conscious  integrity  should  inspire  :  *'  Good 
men  are  sometimes  chastised  severely  for  their  crimes,  but  not  destroyed; 
calamities  which  end  in  rfesirMcfion  are  the  portion  of  the  wicked  only.'* 
On  the  other  hand,  his  meaning  may  be  :  "  Calamities  like  yours  being 
the  lot  of  wicked  men  only,  some  wickedness  of  yours  must  needs  have 
brought  these  calamities  upon  you."  Here,  then,  we  have  another  in- 
stance of  artful  ambiguity.     Scott. 

10.  Unjust  and  rapacious  men  are  in  Scripture  frequently  called  lions. 
See  Ps  xxxiv.  10;  Iviii.  6. 

19.  Who  crumble  to  pieces,  as  if  moth-eaten!  Lit.  They  crumble 
them  to  pieces,  as  the  moth  a  garment.  So  Ros.,  who  remarks,  after 
Schultens  and  Noldius,  that  the  particle  ''JijS  often  has  the  meaning,  as, 

like,  tanquam.  Thus,  1  Sam.  i.  16,  "  Regard  not  thy  servant  as  a  daugh- 
ter of  Belial."  The  Sept.  has  it,  ntjTog  T^b/roi',  and  the  old  Vulg.,  tanquam 
tinea;  the  Vulg.,  sicut  a  tinea.  Comp,  ch.  xiii.  28;  Is.  i.  9,  li.  8. 

20.  Between  morning  and  evening,  SfC.  The  meaning  is,  They  live 
scarcely  a  single  day.  See  Ex,  xviii.  14;  Isa.  xxxviii.  12.  It  is  not  the 
frequent  occurrence  of  death  in  the  course  of  a  day,  but  the  shortness  of 
man's  life,  that  is  meant  to  be  expressed.     So  Pindar,  Pyth.  viii.  135.  : 

Enausooi.    XL  Si  xig;  tl  d'  ou  Ttg; 
2y.iag  ^vaQ  Tcr-dQwnoi. 

Beings  of  a  day  !   What  is  man  ?    What  is  he  not  ? 
He  's  the  dream  of  a  shadow  ! 

—  and  none  regardeth  it.  The  destruction  of  mankind  by  death  is  not  re- 
garded, or  minded,  by  the  rest  of  the  creation.  This  is  only  a  rhetorical 
way  of  representing  how  insignificant  a  creature  map  is,  compared  with 
the  higher  orders  of  beings. 

Ch.  V.  1.  See  if  any  one,  SfC.  i.  e.  will  take  thy  part,  and  advocate 
thy  cause. 

—  to  which  of  the  holy  ones  wilt  thou  look  ?  i.  e.  whom  amongst  the 
heavenly  host  wilt  thou  persuade  to  be  thine  advocate,  or  to  take  thy  part, 
in  a  controversy  with  the  Almighty  ?  The  words  call  and  answer  are 
used  in  this  judicial  sense  in  ch.  xiii.  22,  xiv.  15,  and  in  other  places. 
Another  less  probable  meaning  is  that  of  Grotius  and  others,  who  suppose 
that  Eliphaz,  having  triumphantly  produced  a  divine  revelation  in  support 
of  his  views  respecting  the  conduct  of  Job,  calls  upon  him  to  bring  for- 

9 


194  NOTES. 

ward  something  of  the  same  kind  in  his  defence,  if  he  could,  —  to  call  and 
see  if  any  of  the  heavenly  spirits  would  answer  him,  and  give  a  revelation 
in  his  favor. 

2.  Verily  grief  destroyeth  the  fool.  Grief  and  wrath  hasten  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  foolish  man,  either  by  preying  upon  his  spirits,  or  by  drawing 
down  upon  him  severe  punishment  from  the  Almighty.  His  sutferings  are 
the  fruit  of  his  own  criminal  passions.  The  terms  foolish  and  weak  are 
often,  in  Scripture,  applied  to  impious  and  wicked  men. 

3.  —  /  cursed  his  habitation.  This  may  mean,  I  predicted  his  downfall. 
See  Gerard's  lust.,  §  882.  Or,  I  actually  witnessed  the  sudden  ruin  of 
his  fortunes,  and  pronounced  his  habitation  accursed. 

4.  —  at  the  gate :  i.  e.  in  the  courts  of  justice,  which  used  to  be  held  at 
the  gates  of  cities.     See  Jahn's  Archseol.,  §  247. 

5.  —  the  thorns  :   i.  e,  the  hedge  of  thorns. 

6.  For  affliction  comdh  not,  ^c.  The  meaning  appears  to  be.  The 
afflictions  of  life  are  not  to  be  ascribed  to  chance,  or  to  merely  natural 
causes,  but  to  the  will  of  Heaven. 

7.  Behold,  man  is  born  to  trouble:  i.  e.  men  are  born  under  a  law,  or 
with  a  constitution,  which  subjects  them  to  sorrow  as  soon'  as  they  be- 
come transgressors.  Bishop  Patrick's  paraphrase  is,  "  God  hath  made  it 
as  natural  for  man  to  suifer,  (having  offended  him,)  as  it  is  for  the  sparks 
to  fly  upwai'd."     tlli'T  ■'J3j  sons  of  flame,  or  of  lightning,  may  denote 

sparks,  or  birds  swift  as  lightning.  As  birds  have  not  been  mentioned,  the 
former  seems  the  closest  rendering. 

15.  —  oppressed.     This  version  is  obtained  by  altering  the  points  D*nnD 

{from  the  sword)  to  D^nD,  hophal  participle  from  yT\-     This  amendment 

of  the  text  is  adopted  by  Durcll,  Michaelis,  Dathe,  Doederlein,  Eichhorn, 
and  others. 

10.  —  iniquity  stoppeth  her  mouth:  i.  e.  unrighteous  and  insidious  op- 
pressors are  confounded  and  struck  dumb,  when  they  see  their  schemes 
frustrated,  and  find  themselves  entangled  in  the  snares  which  they  have 
laid  for  others.     See  Ps.  evii.  41,  42. 

23.  For  thou  shalt  be  in  league  icith  the  stones  of  the  field :  i.  e.  thou 
shalt  be  secure  from  injury  from  the  stones  in  walking,  journeying,  &c 
See  Ps.  xci.  11,  12.  Dr.  Shaw  observes:  "  The  custom,  which  still  con- 
tinues, of  walking  either  barefoot  or  with  slippers,  requires  the  ancient 
compliment  of  bringing  water,  upon  the  arrival  of  a  stranger,  to  wash 
his  feet."  —  "The  feet,  being^thus  unguarded,  were  every  moment  liable 
to  be  hurt  and  injured ;  and  from  thence  pcrliaps  the  danger,  without  the 
divine  assistance,  which  ever  protects  us  from  the  smallest  misfortunes, 
of  dashing  them  against  a  stone.  Vs.  xc'i.  12,  which  perhaps  may  further 
illustrate  that  difficult  text,  Job  v.  23,  of   being  in  league  with  the  stones 


JOB.  195 

of  the  fidd."     Shaw's  Travels,  Jbc.  Vol.  1.  p.  428.     Or,  Thy  field  shall  be 
free  from  stones,  which  would  make  it  barren. 

24. — tent.  There  is  some  doubt  whether  Snx  should  be  rendered  tent^ 
according  to  its  primary  meaning,  or  house,  habitation,  its  secondary  mean- 
ing. For  in  ch.  xxix.  7,  and  other  passages.  Job  is  represented  as  dwelling 
in  a  city.  — and  not  he  disappointed.  Lit.  miss;  used  of  slingers,  Judg. 
XX.  16  :  i.  e.  thou  shalt  find  nil  thy  household  affairs  in  such  a  condition 
as  meets  thy  best  wishes  and  expectations,  nij  here  rendered  thy  dwelling, 
may  denote  thj  fold  or  pasture.  It  occurs  in  the  Scriptures  in  both  senses. 
But  as  it  is  parallel  with  tent,  and  occurs  in  verse  third  of  this  chapter  in 
the  sense  of  habitation,  I  prefer  the  latter  sense  here. 


IV. 


In  reply  to  the  harsh  censures  and  insinuations  of  Eliphaz,  Job  justifies 
the  boldness  of  his  complaints  by  the  severity  of  the  afflictions  which  ex- 
torted them  from  him.  Ch.  vi.  2-  13.  He  complains  of  the  unkindncssof 
his  friends  in  pronouncing  him  guilty  because  he  was  miserable,  and  in 
coming  to  him  with  reproaches  instead  of  consolations.  14-23.  He  re- 
quests them  to  treat  him  with  fairness ;  to  examine  his  case,  and  not  to  con- 
demn him  on  account  of  his  miserable  condition.  24  -30.  He  proceeds  to 
speak  of  the  miseries  and  of  the  shortness  of  human  life,  from  which  he 
passes  to  his  own  condition,  and  expostulates  with  the  Deity  upon  the 
greatness  of  his  afflictions,  and  their  long  continuance.     Ch.  vii. 

Ch.  VI.  2.  —  my  grief:  i.  e.  my  distress  or  my  affliction.  He  "nnshes 
that  his  afflictions,  together  with  the  distress  of  mind  caused  by  them, 
might  be  put  into  one  scale,  and  weighed  against  the  sand  of  the  sea  in 
the  other.  This  is  only  a  poetical  way  of  saying  that  they  were  insup- 
portable. 

3.  —  rash.     See  Ges.  Lexicon,  upon  Tiin- 

T    T 

4.  For  the  arroios.  His  distress,  arising  from  his  other  afflictions  as  well 
as  his  disease,  is  compared  to  that  of  a  person  shot  with  poisoned  arrows. 
He  exaggerates  his  distress  by  the  circumstance  that  these  arrows  are  hurled 
by  the  arm  of  the  Almighty. 

5.  Doth  the  wild  ass  bray,  ^r.  As  the  lower  animals  do  not  complain  by 
braying  and  lowing,  when  they  have  plenty  of  food,  so  neither  should  I 
complain,  were  it  not  for  the  insupportable  weight  of  my  afflictions. 


196  NOTES. 

6.  Can  that  which  is  unsavory,  ^c.  Men  usually  complain  of  their 
food,  when  it  is  unsavory;  but  how  much  greater  reason  have  I  to  com- 
plain, when  I  am  obliged  to  bear  those  afflictions  at  the  very  thought  of 
which  I  used  to  shudder  !  Some  critics,  however,  suppose  that  he  here 
lashes  Eliphaz  for  his  harangue  on  the  blessings  of  patience,  and  charac- 
terizes his  discourse  as  insipid,  impertinent,  and  disgusting.  —  white  of  an 
egg.     It  may  be  that  the  term  n^DvPlj  which  occurs  not  elsewhere  in  the 

•r  — 

Scriptures,  rather  denotes  pur  slain,  an  herb  which  was  proverbial  for  its 
insipidity  among  the  Arabs,  Greeks,  and  Romans.  The  literal  meaning 
will  then  be,  Is  there  any  taste  in  pur  slain  saliva  7  a  contemptuous 
exi^ression  for  purslain  broth.  But  as  the  comparison  is  more  expressive 
to  the  English  reader  according  to  the  common  version,  and  has  the 
support  of  the  Rabbins  and  Targums,  I  retain  it. 

7.  What  my  soul,  Sfc.  In  order-  to  justify  this  rendering,  which  in 
sense  is  that  of  the  Common  Version,  it  is  not  necessary  to  decide  whether 
there  is  an  ellipsis  of  the  relative  T^x  or  not;  or  whether  such  an  ellip- 
sis is  an  allowable  idiom  of  Hebrew  Grammar,  or  not.  It  is  certainly  most 
probable   that  HTH   refers  to   the  calamities  or  sufferings,    expressed  in 

verses  2-4.  My  version  sufficiently  expresses  this  reference  without  ad- 
ding anything  which  is  not  implied  in  the  connection. 

9.  —  let  loose  his  hand.  Lit.  loosen  his  hand,  which,  when  inactive,  ia 
figuratively  regarded  as  bound,  and  when  exerted,  as  set  free.  —  make 
an  end  of  me  !  a  metaphor,  which  seems  to  be  borrowed  from  the  practice 
of  a  weaver,  who  cuts  off  the  web,  when  it  is  finished,  from  the  thrum, 
by  which  it  was  fastened  to  the  beam. 

10.  —  /  would  exult :  lit.  leap.    170  occurs  only  once  in  the  Scriptures, 

except  as  a  proper  name.  I  now  prefer  the  rendering  exult,  as  better 
supported  by  tradition,  and  rather  better  suited  to  the  parallelism  and  tlie 
connection,  than  the  former  rendering,  be  com^umed,  lit.  burn.  The  Sept. 
has  it  i^kkuutjr  ;  the  old  Latin,  saliebam  ;  the  Chald.  exultarem-.  It  is 
also  supported  by  a  similar  word  in  the  Arabic.     See  Ges.  Lex.  in  verb. 

11.  —  ./Ind  what  mine  end,  that  I  should  be  patient?  i.  e.  How  distant 
mine  end  ?  How  long  have  I  to  live  ?  Or,  since  my  end,  threatened  by  my 
disease,  is  so  near,  why  should  I  not  prefer  to  die  at  once,  and  invoke 
destruction,  rather  than  bear  continued  calamities  with  patience  ?  Am  I 
not  so  much  exhausted,  and  brought  so  near  my  end,  as  to  have  reason  to 
be  impatient  ? 

13.  DXn  is  used  as  an  adverb  of  exclamation  in  this  and  other  passages. 

See   Ges.      In  the  Vulg.  ecce !     For  the  rendering  deliverance,  see  Ges 
So  the  Sept.,  ^o)]dfiu  (U  ut    hiuv  unfmiv.     Arab,  salus. 

14.  Else :      The  particle  i  is  so  rendered  in  the  common  version,  in 


JOB.  197 

Ps.  li.  16  :     Thou  desirest  not  sacrifice*,  else  would  T  give  it.   — he:  i.  e. 
the  friend  who  does  not  show  kindness  to  the  aiflicted. 

15-20.  But  my  brethren,  S^c.  This  simile  is  exquisitely  beautiful, 
considered  as  a  description  of  a  scene  of  nature  in  the  deserts  of  Arabia. 
But  its  principal  beauty  lies  in  the  exact  correspondence  of  all  its  parts  to 
the  thing  it  is  intended  to  represent.  The  fulness,  strength,  and  noise  of 
these  temporary  streams  in  winter  answer  to  the  large  professions  made  to 
Job  in  his  prosperity  by  his  friends.  The  di-ying  up  of  the  waters,  at  the 
approach  of  summer,  resembles  the  failure  of  their  friendship  in  his 
affliction.  And  the  confusion  of  the  thirsty  caravans,  on  finding  the 
streams  vanished,  strongly  illustrates  his  feelings,  disappointed  as  he  was 
of  the  relief  he  expected  in  these  men's  friendly  counsels.  Scott. 
Schultens  observes  that  the  Arabs  compare  a  treacherous  friend  to  one 
of  these  torrents,  and  hence  say,  "  I  put  no  trust  in  the  flowing  of  thy 
torrent  ;  "  and,  "  0  torrent,  thy  flowing  subsides."  — that  pass  away ; 
Com.  xi.  16. 

16.  —  the  ice :  i.  e.  which  melts  on  the  hills  and  flows  into  them. 
—  hides  itself  in  them  :  i.  e.  melts  and  flows  into  them.  Scott  observes  that 
these  streams  are  first  formed  by  the  autumnal  rains.  The  warmth  and 
rains  of  the  spring,  melting  the  ice  and  snow  on  the  mountains,  increase 
them.  They  then  rush  down  into  the  valleys,  in  a  large  body  of  turbid 
water,  and  assume  the  appearance  of  deep  rivers.  The  beds  of  these 
winter  rivers  are  also  called  torrents.  Bishop  Pococke  saw  several  of  them 
perfectly  dry,  in  his  journey  to  Mount  Sinai  in  the  month  of  April.  See 
Pococke's  Description  of  the  East,  Vol.  I.  pp.  139-  141. 

17. — floiv  forth:  i.  e.  as  soon  as  the  snowwater  is  exhausted,  the 
streams  disappear.  The  contrast  is  between  streams  from  natural  peren- 
nial fountains,  and  those  which  proceed  from  torrents  of  melted  snow  and 
ice. 

18.  The  caravans,  ^c. :  i.  e.  The  caravans  turn  aside  to  them  with  the 
expectation  of  finding  a  supply  of  water,  but  are  disappointed,  and  obliged 
to  pursue  their  journey  without  a  supply  in  the  desert,  where  they  perish 
with  thirst.  Thus  it  agrees,  in  its  general  meaning,  with  the  following 
verses  —  go  up  into  the  desert :  which,  like  the  sea,  seems  to  rise  to  him 
that  beholds  it. 

20.  — their  place  :  i.  e.  the  place  or  channel  of  the  streams,  where  they 
flowed  before  they  were  dried  up. 

21.  —  terror  ;  i.  e.  my  terrible  sufferings. 

22.  — a  present :  i.  e.  to  the  judge,  to  secure  his  good-will  by  a  bribe. 

25.  —  what  do  ijour  reproaches  prove  ?  i.  e.  what  guilt  do  they  convict 
me  of  ? 

26.  Do  ye  mean  to  censure  rvords  7  i.  e.  Do  ye  think  it  reasonable  to 
carp  at  mere  words,  extorted  from  me  by  extreme  misei'y  ?     You  ought  to 


198  •  NOTES. 

consider  that  a  man  in  the  extremity  of  misery  utters  many  inconsiderate 
expressions,  which  ought  not  to  be  severely  censured,  but  rather  laid  to 
the  account  of  human  infirmity,  and  regarded  as  idle  wind. 

27.  'Pruly  ye  spread,  ^c.  The  expressions  in  this  verse  are  pi'overbial, 
and  refer  to  the  cruelty  of  his  friends  in  bringing  unfounded  charges 
against  his  moral  character. 

28.  Look  now  upon  me,  I  pray  you.  He  may  be  understood  literally, 
as  requesting  them  to  look  in  his  face,  and  see  if  he  betrayed  any  signs  of 
falsehood  or  guilt ;  or  figuratively,  as  requesting  them  to  be  more  favora- 
ble to  him,  and  to  give  him  a  hearing  ;  to  judge  from  his  appearance 
whether  he  was  false  or  guilty. 

29.  Return,  ^-c. :  i.  e.  to  the  discussion. 

30.  Is  there  iniquity,  Sfc. :  i.  e.  Is  there  any  falsehood  or  wickedness  in 
"what  I  have  said,  or  am  about  to  say  ?  Have  not  I  the  capacity  of  dis- 
tinguishing right  from  wrong,  and  truth  from  falsehood,  as  well  as  your- 
selves ;  and  if  I  had  said  or  done  anything  wrong,  should  I  not  be 
conscious  of  it  ? 

Ch.  VII.  1.     Is  there  not  a  war-service.      The  word  J<3!!f  is  rendered 

▼  T 

warfare,  in  Is.  xl.  2,  in  the  common  version.  The  Vulg.,  Syr.,  and  Arab, 
render  it  so  in  this  verse.  But  the  expression  has  particular  reference  to 
the  hard  and  wearisome  service  which  the  military  life  required,  and  to 
the  longing  of  the  soldier  to  see  the  end  of  it. 

5.  My  flesh,  SfC.  Maundrell,  describing  ten  lepers  whom  he  saw  in 
Palestine,  says  :  "  The  whole  distemper,  indeed,  as  it  there  appeared,  was 
so  noisome,  that  it  might  well  pass  for  the  utmost  corruption  of  the  human 
body  on  this  side  the  grave."  Maundrell's  Journey,  p.  252,  &c.  Amer. 
edit. 

7.  O  remember,  ^c.  He  here  turns  to  the  Deity,  and  pleads  the  short- 
ness of  life  as  a  reason  why  he  should  be  relieved  from  his  sufferings.  In 
fer.  9,  10,  he  urges,  for  the  same  reason,  the  certainty  that  he  should  not 
return  to  life. 

8.  Thine  eyes  shall  look  for  me.     See  note  on  ver.  22. 

9.  — th".  grave.     Lit.  tosheol,  the  underworld. 

12.  Am  I  a  sea.  ^-c.  He  complains  that  God  treated  him  as  though  he 
were  some  furious  tyrant,  whom  only  the  most  severe  inflictions  could 
restrain  from  exceeding  the  bounds  of  justice,  and  spreading  destruction 
among  mankind.  "  Am  I  as  fiei'cc  and  dangei'ous  as  the  raging  sea,  or  as 
some  strong  and  ungovernable  sea-monster,  both  of  which  must  be  re- 
strained by  great  exertions,  and  watched  with  unceasing  vigilance,  lest 
they  should  spread  destruction  and  death  ?  "  Michaelis  thinks  that  by 
the  ^ea  Job  meant  the  Nile,  which,  when  it  rises  beyond  a  certain  height. 


JOB.  199 

becomes  an  inundation,  and  causes  immense  damage.  Schultens  quotes 
Arabsjah,  an  Arabic  poet,  who  calls  Tamerlane  "  a  vast  sea,  swallowing  up 
everything.  "  Burder  observes  :  "  Crocodiles  ure  very  terrible  to  the  in- 
habitants of  Egypt  ;  when,  therefore,  they  appear,  they  watch  them  with 
great  attention,  and  take  proper  precautions  to  secure  them,  so  that  they 
may  not  be  able  to  avoid  the  deadly  weapons  afterwards  used  to  kill  them. 
To  these  wat'chings  and  those  deadly  after-assaults  I  apprehend  Job 
refers. ' ' 

15.  — rather  than  these  mij  bones.  Lit.  rather,  than  my  bones:  i.e. 
than  the  wretched  skeleton,  which  is  nearly  all  that  is  left  of  me. 

16.  I  a  171  ivasti'i^  away.  The  Hebrew  woi'd,  thus  rendered,  is  transla- 
ted melt  awaij,  in  the  common  version,  in  Ps.  Iviii.  7.  The  Arab.,  accord- 
ing to  Walton,  is.  Jam  viribus  d.pfcctus  sum. 

17.  18.  Job  suggests  that  it  was  beneath  the  character  of  the  infinite 
God  to  bestow  so  much  time  and  attention,  and  such  vigilant  inspection, 
upon  so  insignificant  a  being  as  man  ;  and  this  for  no  other  purpose  than  to 
mark  and  punish  all  his  defects  and  failures. 

19.  — look  away  from  vie  :  i.  e.  turn  away  thine  angry  countenance 
from  me,  or  cease  to  afflict  me.  So  xiv.  6.  "  This  is  a  metaphor  drawn 
from  combatants,  who  never  take  their  eyes  off  fi-om  their  antagonists." 
Schultens.  — till  I  have  time  fo  breath''.  I  have  substituted  this  for  the 
proverb,  which  is  literally  rendered  in  the  common  version,  and  which  has 
been  retained  in  Arabia  to  the  present  day,  by  which  they  understand, 
"  Give  me  leave  to  rest  after  my  fatigue."  There  are  two  instances 
(quoted  by  Schult.  in  loc.)  in  Hariri's  JVarratives,  entitled  the 
Assembly.  One  is  of  a  person  who,  when  eagerly  pressed  to  give  an  ac- 
count of  his  travels,  answered  with  impatience,  "  Let  me  swallow  down 
my  spittle,  for  my  journey  hath  ftxtigued  me."  The  other  instance  is  of  a 
quick  return  made  to  one  who  used  that  proverb  ;  "  Suffer  me,"  said  the 
person  importuned,  "  to  swallow  down  my  spittle  ;  "  to  which  his  friend 
replied,  "  You  may,  if  you  please,  swallow  down  even  the  Tigris  and 
Euphrates  ;  "  that  is.  You  may  take  what  time  you  please.     Burder. 

20.  If  I  have  sinned,  ^-c. :  i.  e.  "  Suppose,  for  a  moment,  that  I  have 
sinned,  yet  as  I  can  have  done  thee  no  injury,  as  my  sins  cannot  have 
affected  thy  safety  or  happiness,  I  see  not  why  I  should  be  treated  with 
such  severity,  and  even  set  up  for  a  mark  at  which  thou  mayst  shoot  thine 
arrows."    The  particle  DX,  i/",  is  often  understood.   The  Sept.  has  supplied 

it  here  :  ? '  ? /«  luunrov.  So  the  Arab,  and  Syr. .  See  Ges.  Gram.  §  152.  4.  — 
what  haxie  T  done  to  thee?  i.  e.  what  injury  have  I  done  to  thee?  The  verb 
T\\i/)^  signifies  to  do  an  injury,  in  Exod.  xiv.  11 ;  Gen.  xix.  8,'xx  ii.  12.   This 

T    T 

sentiment  agrees  better  with  the  context,  and  is  also  found  in  eh.  xxxv.  6. — O 
thou  watcher  of  men  !  i.  e.     0  thou  that  watchest  men  strictly,  and  markest 


200  NOTES. 

all  their  sins.  The  word  is  undoubtedly  used  in  an  invidious  sense,  and 
not  merely  to  express  the  general  truth  that  God  takes  notice  of  human  ac- 
tions. See  ver.  12,  and  xiv.  16.  Dr.  Kennicott  renders  it,  O  thou  spy 
upon  men  !    The  word  "i}^2,  inspector,  is   rendered  watchman,  in  2  Kings 

xvii.  9,  in  the  common  version;  and  in  ch.  xxvii.  18,  of  this  poem,  it  de- 
notes the  watchman  of  a  vineyard.  The  Sept.  has  it,  6  iuiaruutvog  rbv  rovv 
TOW  aid^ncjaoiv.  The  same  sentiment  is  expressed  in  ch.  x.  6,  xiii.  27,  and 
elsewhere.  The  word  might  be  rendered  preserver,  in  another  connection, 
since  a  person  sometimes  watches  a  thing  for  its  preservation;  but  not 
properly  hei^e,  where  the  Deity  is  represented  as  the  avenger  of  sin.  —  So 
that  I  have  become  a  burden  to  myself?  The  Sept.  renders  the  two  last 
lines. 

Why  hast  thou  set  me  up  for  thy  mark, 
And  why  have  I  become  a  burden  to  thee  ? 

The  Hebrew  copy ,  from  which  they  translated,  had  ^"hjj  instead  of  ^S^. 

The  Masorites  also  place  this  amongst  the  eighteen  passages  which  they 
say  were  altered  by  transcribers.  In  this  case  the  reading  preserved  by 
the  Sept.  may  have  been  altered  by  some  transcriber  who  supposed  the 
sentiment  which  it  conveyed  to  be  irreverent  to  the  Deity.  But,  as  the  re- 
ceived text  is  supported  by  all  tlie  versions  except  the  Sept.,  and  by  all  the 
Hebrew  manuscripts  hitherto  examined,  it  may  be  retained,  notwithstand- 
ing the  intrinsic  probability  that  the  Sept.  has  preserved  the  true  reading. 
22.  Soon  shall  I  sleep  in  the  dust.  He  urges  the  shortness  of  the  term 
of  life  which  yet  remained  to  him,  as  a  reason  why  he  should  be  relieved 
from  his  afflictions ;  and  he  intimates,  in  the  latter  clause  of  the  verse, 
that  death  would,  as  it  were,  put  it  out  of  the  power  of  the  Deity  to  favor 
him,  should  he  relent  and  be  inclined  to  mercy,  since  he  should  be  no 
longer  in  existence.  So  Castalio  explains  it  :  "  Nisi  mihi  in  hac  vita  bene- 
facias  et  condones,  non  erit  post  mortem  locus."  So  Poole  :  "  When  thou 
shalt  diligently  seek  for  me,  that  thou  mayst  show  favor  to  me,  thou  wilt 
find  that  I  am  dead  and  gone,  and  so  wilt  lose  thy  opportunity.  Help, 
therefore,  speedily.'* 


V. 

In  chapter  eighth,  Bildad,  another  of  Job's  professed  friends,  comes  for- 
ward as  a  disputant,  interrupting  him  in  his  discourse,  and  reproving 
him  with  severity  for  the  boldness  of  liis  language  in  regard  to  his  afflic- 
tions, and  for  his  firm  protestations  of  his  innocence,  as  if  he  had  thereby 
called  in  question  the  justice  of  the  Deity.  He  holds  the  opinion  that,  un- 
der the  government  of  a  being  infinitely  wise  and  good,  afflictions  cannot 
take  place,  unless  for  the  purposes  of  vindictive  justice.     Hence  he  asserts 


JOB.  201 

that  the  children  of  Job  had  perished  on  account  of  their  wickedness  ; 
although  he  had  no  grounds  for  the  assertion,  but  that  of  their  ruin.  He 
tells  Job  that  if  he  were  in  reality  the  devout  and  upright  man  he  pro- 
fessed to  be,  he  would  again  be  restored  to  prosperity.  He  quotes  a  pas- 
sage from  an  ancient  poem,  representing  by  striking  images  the  miserable 
condition  of  the  wicked,  and  holds  out  to  Job  the  hope  of  the  renewed 
favor  of  God,  as  the  reward  of  repentance. 

These  exhortations  to  repentance,  addressed,  as  they  were,  to  one  whom 
Jehovah  had  pronounced  an  upright  and  good  man,  are  to  be  regarded  as 
an  indirect  mode  of  charging  him  with  perverseness  and  guilt.  Thus  it 
appears  that  Bildad  agrees  with  Eliphaz  in  the  opinion  that  misery  is  a  de- 
cisive proof  of  wickedness. 

Ch.  VIII.  2.  —  like  a  strong  wind?  The  same  figure  is  found  in 
Aristoph.  Ran.  872.  :  Tvifiogyuo  ix^alvnv  naourncsvutsTat'  A  tempest  of 
words  is  preparing  to  burst  forth.     So  in  Sil.  Italicus,  XI.  581. : 

—  qui  tanta  superbo 
Facta  sonas  ore,  et  spumanti  turbine  perflas 
Ignorantum  aures. 

6.  —  thy  righteous  habitation  :  i.  e.  the  abode  where  thou  shalt  dwell,  a 
righteous  man.  Bildad  insinuates,  says  Schultens,  that  the  dwelling  of 
Job  had  hitherto  been  the  abode  of  wickedness. 

7.  So  that  thy  beginning  shall  be  small  :  i.  e.  thy  former  prosperity 
shall  appear  small,  compared  with  that  which  thou  shalt  hereafter  enjoy, 
if  thou  art  pure  and  righteous.  So  the  Sept.,  "'Earai  rlx  ulv  noMxa  oov 
hliya.  So  Castalio,  Adeo  ut  fuerit  tua  prior  conditio  tenuis,  prce  ut 
posterior  amplijicabitur.  Thus  the  poet  puts  into  the  mouth  of  Bildad  a 
reference,  undesigned  on  his  part,  to  what  is  afterwards  recorded  to  have 
taken  place  in  the  fortunes  of  Job  :  "  Jehovah  blessed  the  latter  end  of 
Job  more  than  the  beginning.''^  xlii.  12.  Bildad  had  no  prophetic  an- 
ticipation of  this,  but  merely  utters  a  general  promise,  naturally  suggested 
Dy  the  subject;  while  the  writer  intended  that  it  should  refer  to  the  subse- 
quent history  of  Job.  The  skill  of  the  poet  is  manifested  in  this  way  in 
several  passages,  and  reminds  one  of  the  admirable  use  made  of  this  ex- 
pedient to  give  interest  and  pathos  to  their  compositions  by  the  most  cele- 
brated Greek  dramatists,  as  by  Sophocles,  for  instance,  in  his  (Edipus 
Tyrannus. 

11. — paper-reed:  Trw/ruooc,  Sept.  See  Ges.  We  are  entertained  here, 
says  Mr.  Scott,  with  a  specimen  of  the  manner  of  conveying  moral  instruc- 
tions in  the  oldest  times  of  the  woi'ld.  They  couched  their  observations  in 
pithy  sentences,  or  wrapped  them  in  concise  similitudes;  and  cast  them 
into  metre  to  fix  them  in  the  memory.  Bp.  Lowth  mentions  the  words  of 
Lamech  to  his  two  wives,  (Gen.  iv.  23,  24,)  as  the  oldest  example  of  this 

kind  on  record. 

9* 


202  NOTES. 

17.  —  heap.  I  now  prefer  this  rendering,  as  favored  by  tbe  parallelism, 
and  by  its  connection  with  the  verb  entwined.  — And  he  seeth  the  place  of 
stones  :  i.  e.  taketh  deep  root  in  the  earth.  Thus  the  verse  denotes  the 
flourishing,  and  apparently  durable,  condition  of  the  wicked  man.  So 
Mercier,  Doed.,  Ges.     See  Ps.  i.  3,  xxxvii.  35;  Jer.  xvii.  8. 

18.  The  particle  DN,  translated   if  in  the  common    version,  is  often 

used  for  emphasis,  or  asseveration,  and,  according  to  the  connection,  may 
be  rendered,  truly,  indeed,  yea,  yet,  behold!  lo !  &c.,  or  occasionally 
omitted.     See  Noldius  in  verb. 

19.  — from  his  place.  L\t.  from  the  earth  or  soil  from  which  the  tree 
was  removed.  Thus  others  shall  fill  the  place  and  enjoy  the  wealth  of  the 
wicked  man  who  is  taken  away.  See  xxvii.  16,  17,  and  Eccles.  ii.  18.  So 
Merc,  Ros.  But  Dathe  and  Eichhorn,  and  another  shall  spring  up  in 
his  place  !  i.  e.  other  wicked  men,  not  deterred  by  his  dreadful  fate,  shall 
take  his  place,  and  follow  his  example. 

21.   Instead  of  Ij;,  it  is  better  to  alter  the  point,  and  read  'y^.     So 

Houb.,  Michaelis,  De  Wette. 


VI. 

In  reply  to  Bildad,  who  had  charged  him  with  virtually  denying  the  jus- 
tice of  God,  Job  remarks  that  he  knows  full  well  the  greatness  and  holi- 
ness of  God,  and  the  weakness  and  sinfulness  of  man;  intimating  that  he 
does  not  pretend  to  be  free  from  the  infirmities  and  sins  which  are  common 
to  the  human  race.  But  these,  in  his  view,  are  incident  to  the  best  of 
men,  so  that  no  one  can  answer  to  one  charge  of  a  thousand  in  a  contro- 
versy with  God.  Admitting  this,  however,  it  by  no  means  follows  that 
one  whom  God  pleases  to  afflict  is  a  wicked  man ;  or,  that  he  is  a  great  sin- 
ner who  suifers  great  affliction.  Ch.  ix.  1-3.  He  maintains  that  in  the 
distribution  of  happiness  and  misery  God  is  an  absolute  sovereign,  influ 
enced  by  no  considei'ation  but  that  of  his  own  inscrutable  and  irresistible 
will;  that  his  afflictions,  therefore,  ought  not  to  be  attributed  to  the  jus- 
tice of  God,  but  rather  to  be  ranked  with  those  acts  of  Providence  which 
confound  all  our  reasonings.  4  -  14.  He  says,  thai  though  he  is  conscious 
of  no  guilt  which  should  draw  down  upon  him  the  afflictions  which  he  suf- 
fered, yet  he  will  not  attempt  to  defend  himself  before  the  majesty  of  God; 
that  he  is  weak;  that  the  contest  is  unequal;  that,  were  his  cause  ever  so 
just,  he  could  not  hope  to  prevail;  that,  though  he  is  conscious  of  inno- 
cence, he  would  not  enter  into  a  controversy  with  God  in  order  to  save  his 
life.  15  -  21.  (It  may  be  observed  here,  that,  when  Job  asserts  his  inno- 
cence, he  does  not  lay  claim  to  entire  freedom  from  fault.    He  means  only 


JOB.  203 

that  he  is  innocent  of  the  charges  of  secret  crimes  brought  against  him  by 
his  friends ;  that  he  is  free  from  uncommon  guilt,  which  his  friends  held 
to  be  the  cause  of  his  great  misery;  that  he  is,  in  fine,  a  sincere,  upright 
man.)  He  affirms  that  misery,  far  from  being  a  proof  of  uncommon  guilt, 
is  equally  the  portion  of  the  righteous  and  of  the  wicked.  22  -  24.  Passing 
to  the  contemplation  of  his  own  misery,  he  asserts  that  his  righteousness 
avails  him  nothing;  that  his  cause  cannot  be  brought  to  a  fair  trial;  and 
that  the  majesty  and  power  of  God  reduce  him  to  silence.  25  -  35.  Then 
with  great  earnestness  and  pathos  he  expostulates  with  the  Deity  on  ac- 
count of  his  severity  to  the  work  of  his  own  hands,  continues  to  assert  his 
innocence,  and  urges  the  shortness  of  the  term  of  life  which  yet  remained 
to  him,  as  a  reason  why  he  should  be  relieved  from  his  miseries.     Ch.  x. 

In  regard  to  apparent  inconsistencies  in  the  language  of  Job,  it  may  be 
observed  here  that  he  is  represented  as  agitated  by  various  contending  emo- 
tions. Fear  and  hope,  despair  and  confidence,  the  spirit  of  submission  and 
of  bold  complaint,  by  turns  have  possession  of  his  mind;  and,  as  either 
predominates,  it  gives,  of  course,  a  character  to  his  language.  Truth  in 
the  exhibition  of  opposite  feelings  and  passions  requires  some  inconsistency 
in  language  and  sentiment.  Disregard  of  this  obvious  truth  led  Dr.  Kenni- 
00 tt  to  propose  some  alterations  of  the  text,  which,  if  adopted,  would  great- 
ly injure  the  poem. 

Ch.  IX.  3.  If  he  choose  :  i.  e.  If  God  choose  to  mark  strictly  the  sins  of 
which  all  men  are  guilty,  and  accuse  them  of  these  sins;  or,  if  man 
choose  to  enter  into  controversy  with  God. 

5.  He  removeth  the  mountains,  and  they  know  it  not.  This  is  a  Heb. 
idiom,  meaning,  He  removeth  them  suddenly  or  unexpectedly  ;  as  it  were, 
before  they,  i.  e.  the  mountains,  are  aware  of  it.  So  in  Ps,  xxxv.  8,  where, 
in  the  Hebrew,  the  expression  "  ai  unawares  "  is  "  let  him  not  know.'* 
Schultens  remarks  that  the  same  idiom  occurs  frequently  in  the  Koran. 

6.  —  the  pillars  thereof.  The  earth  is  represented  as  an  edifice,  sup- 
ported by  pillars,  resting  on  foundations,  having  a  corner-stone,  &c.  See 
ch.  xxxviii.  4-6.  Earthquakes  seem  to  make  these  pillars  tremble.  Ac- 
coi'ding  to  the  same  mode  of  conception  respecting  the  earth,  it  is  repre- 
sented as  standing  forever,  Ecc.  i.  4,  and  as  reeling  like  a  drunkard,  and 
moving  like  a  hammock,' in  Is.  xxiv.  20.  * 

7.  He  commanddh,  4"C.  Some  suppose  the  allusion  is  to  the  effects  of 
an  eclipse  ;  others,  to  those  of  a  continued  storm,  as  in  Acts  xxvii.  20; 
and  others,  that  he  asserts  that  light  and  darkness  depend  upon  God ;  that, 
if  he  forbid,  the  sun  and  the  stars  cease  to  shine.  To  seal  up,  or  to  shut 
up  as  with  a  seal,  I  suppose  to  be  a  figurative  expression,  denoting  great 
or  total  obscuration.  The  expression  to  seal  up  is  used  with  great  latitude 
of  signification.     See  ch.  xxxiii.  16,  xxxvii.  7. 


204  NOTES. 

8. — spreadeth  out,  S^c.  Comp.  Is.  xl.  22.  Otherwise,  ioi^e//i  dow/i  the 
heav^is.  See  Ps.  xviii.  9-15.  This  latter  version  would  denote  the 
descent  of  black,  heavy  clouds,  in  a  great  storm.  —  walketh  upon  the 
high  waves.  The  Egyptian  hieroglyphic  for  what  was  not  possible  to  be 
done  was  a  man  walking  on  the  water.     Burder. 

9. — the  Bear,  Orion,  and  the  Pleiads.  The  Hebrew  names  are  Ash, 
Chesil,  and  Chimah.  See  note  upon  ch.  xxxviii.  31,  32.  —  secret  chambers 
9/ the  South  :  i.  e.  the  remotest  regions  of  the  South,  the  constellations  of 
which  are  invisible  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  northern  hemisphere. 

12.  seizeth:  as  a  lion  his  prey. 

13.  God  will  not  turn  away  his  anger  :  i.  e.  on  account  of  any  opposi- 
tion which  may  be  made  to  it.     Dei  irrevocabilis  ira  est.    Castalio. 

15.  —  /  would  not  answer  him.  The  word  is  used  in  a  judicial  sense, 
and  means,  I  would  not  undertake  to  make  my  defence. 

16.  Should  I  call,  and  he  make  ariswer  to  me.   The  words  S^lp  and  nJJ^ 

are  supposed  by  Schultens,  and  by  most  critics  since  his  time,  to  be  used 
in  a  judicial  sense.  Si  in  jus  vocarem,  ut  actor,  et  responderet  mihi  com- 
pellatus,  seque  sisteret.  If,  as  plaintiff,  I  should  summon  him  to  trial, 
and  he  should  make  answer,  and  consent  to  stand  as  defendant,  I  could 
scarcely  believe  it;  for  although  I  am  conscious  of  uprightness,  yet,  from 
the  severe  afflictions  under  which  I  suffer,  I  have  reason  to  conclude  that 
lie  will  act  no  other  part  towards  me  than  that  of  an  absolute  sovereign 
who  will  give  no  account  of  his  doings. 

19.  If  I  look  to  strength.  Lit.  If  to,  or  concerning,  the  strength  of 
the  mighty :  i.  e.  if  it  be  a  question  of  strength,  &c.  See  Jer.  xlix.  19,  I. 
44.  If  we  adopt  the  various  reading,  found  in  the  Sept.  and  Syr.,  )  instead 
of  ^,  we  may  translate. 

If  I  look  to  strength,  lo,  he  is  strong  ! 

If  to  justice,  who  shall  summon  him  to  trial  ? 

Thus  Dathe  and  Eichhorn  render  the  verse. 

20,  21.  Though  I  were  upright,  ^c.  The  meaning  probably  is.  Though 
I  am  conscious  of  no  guilt,  and  though  my  cause  is  just,  yet  were  I  as 
pure  as  au  angel,  I  should  not  be  able  to  sustain  myself,  and  make  good 
my  defence  before  the  brightness  of  the  divine  majesty;  notwithstanding 
•^he  testimony  of  my  conscience,  I  would  give  up  all  care  for  myself,  every 
effort  to  preserve  my  life,  rather  than  enter  into  a  vain  controversy  with  a 
Being  infinitely  above  me,  so  supeinor  in  strength. 

22.  It  is  all  one.  The  meaning  may  be  either.  All  things  are  now 
alike  to  me;  I  am  indifferent  as  to  what  may  happen  to  me;  or,  It  is  all 
one  whether  a  person  be  righteous  or  wicked,  so  far  as  his  fortune  is  con- 
cerned.    Some 'suppose,  however,  that  NTTHnx  should  be  rendered,  He  is 


JOB.  205 

the  one;  unicus  e'sl:  i.  e.  He  is  unlike  all  others;  lie  stands  alone;  he  is 
bound  by  no  rules,  and  gives  no  account  of  his  matters.     Comp.  ver.  32. 

24.  —  cover  eth  the  face  of  the  jxidges.  Either,  God  treats  them  as  con- 
demned malefactors,  overwhelming  them  with  calamities,  disgrace,  and 
ruin.  Job  himself  being  one  example  of  this  melancholy  truth.  Scott. 
See  2  Sam.  xv.  30;  Esth.  vii.  8;  Jer.  xiv.  3.  Is.  xxii.  17;  Mark  xiv.  65. 
Thus  the  meaning  of  the  verse  will  be,  God  commonly  advances  wicked 
men  to  honor  and  power,  and  casts  down  men  of  true  worth  and  virtue 
from  their  seats.  Ow  to  cover  the  face  of  the  judges  may  have  the  same 
meaning  as  the  phrase,  to  blind  their  eyes,  so  that  they  are  partial,  un- 
just, and  oppressive.  —  If  it  be  not  he,  who  is  it?  So  the  Sept.,  «t  Se  {.lij 
aiiTo?  iari ,  rig  iartv  ;  If  it  be  not  God  who  doeth  the  strange  things  which 
I  have  mentioned,  who  is  it  that  doeth  them  ? 

25.  My  days  have  been  swifter  than  a  courier,  ^c.  Time  and  enjoy- 
ment, that  are  succeeded  by  great  misery,  appear  as  an  instant  that  is 
past.  The  depth  of  his  present  affliction  makes  him  forget  his  former 
prosperity,  and  to  say  that  he  had  seen  no  good  during  his  life.  "  The 
common  pace  of  travelling  in  the  East  is  very  slow.  Camels  go  little  more 
than  two  miles  an  hour.  Those  who  carried  messages  in  haste  moved  very 
differently.  Dromedaries,  a  sort  of  camel  which  is  exceedingly  swift,  are 
used  for  this  purpose;  and  Lady  M.  W.  Montague  asserts  that  they  far 
outrun  the  swiftest  horses.  Lett.  II.  65.  There  are  also  messengers  who 
run  on  foot,  and  who  sometimes  go  an  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  less  than 
twenty-four  hours;  with  what  energy  then  might  Job  say,  '  My  days  are 
swifter  than  a  courier  !  '  Instead  of  passing  away  with  a  slowness  of  mo- 
tion like  that  of  a  caravan,  my  days  of  prosperity  have  disappeared  with  a 
swiftness  like  that  of  a  messenger  carrying  dispatches."     Mariner. 

26.  —  reed-skiffs  :  i.  e.  "  boats  or  skiffs  made  of  the  papyrus  of  the  Nile, 
in  common  use  among  the  Egyptians  and  Ethiopians,  and  famous  for  their 
lightness  and  swiftness.  Thus  Pliny,  xiii.  11,  Ex  ipso  quidem  papyro 
navigia  texunt  ;  vi.  56,  Etiam  nunc  [naves]  in  Britannico  oceano  vitiles 
corio  circums'.itee  sunt  ;  in  Nilo  ex  papyro,  et  scirpo,  et  arundine.  And 
Lucan.  Pharsal.  iv.  136,  Conseritur  bibula  Memphitis  cymba  papyro. 
Heliodorus,  jEthiop.  x.  460,  speaks  of  such  boats,  noo-d^utioig  ix  y.a./.uin<^v 
vianoiijuivoig,  as  having  been  very  swift,  u^vdfjo/Libjxaja.  They  may  be 
compared  in  this  respect  to  Indian  canoes." 

27.  28.  If  I  say,  ^c.  :  i.  e.  If  I  resolve  within  myself  that  I  will  cease 
complaining,  and  endeavor  to  be  more  cheerful,  I  find  all  such  endeavors 
vain  ;  for  if  my  griefs  be  suspended  for  a  short  time,  yet  my  fears  con- 
tinue,  for  thou,  0  God,  wilt  not  clear  my  innocence,  by  removing  those 
afflictions  which  make  them  judge  me  guilty  of  some  great  crime.     Poole. 

29.  I  shall  be  found  guilty,  Sfc.  :  i,  e.  Whether  I  be  holy  or  wicked,  if 
I  dispute 'with  thee,  I  shall  be  found  guilty.     Why  then  should  I  trouble 


206  NOTES. 

myself  with  clearing  mine  innocency  ?  Poole.  Or,  I  must  pass  for  a 
wicked  person  ;  I  am  treated  as  such  by  God,  and  condemned  by  man. 
All  my  labor,  therefore,  to  clear  myself  will  be  to  no  purpose. 

30.  If  I  wash,  ^c.  Bj  Wiishiiiff  himself ,  ^c,  and  cleansing  his  hands y 
Sfc,  he  asserts  the  purity  of  his  heart,  and  innocence  of  his  life.  Thus 
Zophar  understood  him  :  "  Thoiismjest,  '  My  speech  is  pure  ;  I  am  clean 
in  thine  eyes.''  "  The  Psalmist  also  declares  his  own  integrity  in  terms 
somewhat  similar  :  "I  have  cleansed  my  heart  in  vain,  and  washed  my 
hands  in  innocency."     Ps.  Ixxiii.  13, 

31.  Still  wilt  thou  plunge  me,  ^c.  The  meaning  is,  that  his  calamities 
would  cause  him  to  be  looked  upon  by  all  his  intimate  friends  as  an 
abominable  wretch,  smitten  of  God,  and  accursed.  No  protestations  of  in- 
nocence, no  appeals,  no  defence  whatever,  could  overcome  that  prejudice 
against  him.  —  my  own  clothes.  This  circumstance  is  added,  I  imagine, 
as  a  heightening  of  the  image  of  impurity  ;  to  represent  more  strongly  the 
infamy  with  which  his  character  was  blackened  by  his  overthrow.     Scott. 

32.  For  He  is  not,  &fC.  :  i.  e.  He  is  infinitely  superior  to  me  in  majesty 
and  power,  so  that  I  cannot  venture  to  contend  with  him  :  i  e.  to  debate 
my  cause  with  him,  or  to  answer  his  allegations  against  me  ;  neither  can 
we  go  together  into  judgment :  i.  e.  meet  each  other  face  to  face,  and  plead 
upon  equal  terms  before  a  superior  and  indifferent  judge. 

33.  Who  may  lay  his  hand  upon  us  both  :  i.  e.  who  may  have  authority 
and  power  to  control  either  of  us  who  shall  exceed  the  limits  of  propriety 
in  the  controversy,  and  also  to  oblige  us  to  stand  to  his  decision. 

34.  — his  rod :  i.  e.  my  present  afflictions.  — his  terrors:  i.  e.  the 
terror  of  his  majesty  and  power. 

35.  — a7id  not  be  afraid  of  him  :  i.  e.  as  an  opponent  in  a  judicial  con- 
troversy. I  should  not  fear  but  that  I  should  be  able  to  make  good  my 
cause,  and  prove  my  innocence.  —  For  I  am  not  so  at  heart :  i.  e.  as  to 
have  any  reason  to  fear  the  result  of  debating  my  cause  with  him  upon 
equal  terms.  So  Schult.,  Le  Clerc,  Ros.  Oi>  ylxo  avrsnirfrauui  iuuvtoj 
aSiHor'  Sept.:  lam  not  conscious  to  myself  of  unrighteousness.  But 
this  is  paraphrastic. 

Ch.  X.  2.  —  Do  not  condemn  me:  i.  e.  Do  not  pronounce  me  guilty  and 
punish  me  with  such  severity,  without  showing  me  wherein  I  have  offended, 
and  what  I  have  done  to  deserve  ray  sufferings. 

4-7.  Hast  thou  eyes,  Sfc. :  i.  e.  Secst  thou  as  imperfectly  as  man?  or 
does  thy  life  pass  away  as  swiftly  as  that  of  a  man  ?  One  might  suspect  this 
from  thy  searching  after  sins  in  me  so  thoroughly  and  so  suddenly;  i.  e. 
from  thy  inflicting  upon  me  sm-h  heavy  blows  and  in  such  quick  succession, 
to  bring  me  to  a  confession  of  sin.     Umbreit. 


JOB.  207 

8.  Have  thy  Iiands  completely  fashioned,  SfC.  His  argument  now  is, 
that  it  looks  like  capi*ice  to  bestow  great  skill  and  labor  on  a  work,  and 
then  on  a  sudden,  and  without  just  cause,  dash  it  in  pieces.  This  is  what 
he  meant  also  in  verse  3,  "  /s  it  a  pleasure  to  thee  .  .  .  to  despise  the 
work  of  thy  hands  ?  ' '     Scott. 

9.  O  remember,  SfC.  Here  he  pleads  the  common  mortality.  He  must 
soon  die,  as  all  other  men  ;  what  occasion  then  for  so  much  torture  to  dis- 
patch him  ?     Scott. 

10  -  12.  The  argument  in  these  verses  is  taken  from  God's  creating  and 
providential  goodness  towards  him,  as  not  being  consistent  with  his  present 
treatment  of  him.     Scott. 

13.  Yet  these  things  thou  didst  lay  up  in  thy  heart.  By  these  things  he 
means  his  calamities  ;  and  insinuates  that  God  had  given  him  being  with 
a  secret  purpose  to  make  him  miserable  ;  and  had  advanced  him  so  high 
in  order  to  render  his  fall  the  more  terrible.  Scott.  — in  thy  mind :  lit. 
with  thee;  a  phrase  repeatedly  used  in  this  book,  and  in  other  parts  of 
Scripture,  to  denote  what  was  in  the  mind  of  God,  i.  e.  what  was  his  in- 
tention, or  purpose.     See  ch.  xiv.  5,  xxiii.  14  ;  Ps.  1.  11  ;  John  xvii.  5. 

15.  If  I  am  wicked,  as  my  friends  suppose  me,  then  am  I  indeed  un- 
done !  yet  though  I  am  righteous,  I  derive  no  benefit  from  it.  It  is  all 
one,  whether  I  am  good  or  bad. 

16,  —  like  a  Hon  thou  huntest  me.  The  allusion,  in  this  and  the  follow- 
ing verse,  is  to  that  manner  of  hunting  the  lion,  wherein  the  hunters, 
armed  with  spears  and  javelins,  formed  themselves  in  a  ring  about  the 
beast,  and  threw  their  weapons  at  him  one  after  another.  By  this  image 
Job  represents,  in  lively  colors,  the  violent  and  rapid  succession  of  his 
calamities.  Scott.  Another  explanation,  and  perhaps  the  best,  is.  Thou 
huntest  me,  as  a  furious  lion  pursues  his  prey  ;  but,  whereas  the  lion 
tears  his  prey  speedily,  and  so  ends  its  torments,  thou  renewest  my  calam- 
ities again  and  again. 

17.  Thou  renewest  thy  witnesses  :  i.  e.  thy  judgments  —  my  afflictions, 
which  my  friends  regard  as  an  evidence  of  wickedness.  —  JVew  hosts :  lit. 
changes  and  a  host,  by  the  figure  hendiadys,  for  hosts  constantly  recruited. 
Or,  cha"gfS  may  mean  afflictions ;  and  the  sense  may  be,  a  host  of  afflic- 
tions. According  to  the  former  rendering,  new  hosts  figuratively  denote 
miseries  constantly  succeeding  each  other.  JExercitus  immutas  contra 
me.  Arab,  and  Syr. 

18,  19.  Why  then,  S^c.  But  for  thine  agency  I  should  have  perished, 
unseen  and  unknown,  and  have  avoided  my  present  misery  and  disgrace. 
So  in  Euripides,  Troad.  637,  Andromache  utters  similar  sentiments. 

20.  Are  not  my  days  few  7  ^c.  :  i.  e.  My  life  is  short,  and  hastens 
cipace  to  an  end.     Do  not  then  continue  my  afflictions  to  the  last  moment 


208  NOTES. 

of  my  existence.     Let  the  very  short  term  of  life,  which  remains  to  me,  be 
a  season  of  rest  and  enjoyment. 

21 ,  22.  Before  I  go  —  ivhence  I  shall  not  return,  —  SfC  These  verses 
contain  a  description  of  sheol,  or  hades,  the  under- world,  the  place  of  all 
the  dead.     So  Sen.  Here.  Furens,  861. : 

Stat  chaos  densum,  tenebraeque  turpes, 
Et  color  noctis  mains,  ac  silentis 
Otium  mundi,  vacuaeqne  nubes. 
Sera  nos  illo  referat  senectus  ! 
Nemo  ad  id  sero  venit,  undo  nunquam, 
Cum  semel  venit,  potuit  reverti. 


VII. 


In  the  eleventh  chapter,  Zophar  the  Naamathite,  the  third  of  Job's 
friends,  come^  forward  in  reply  to  him.  He  censures  him  with  severity,  as 
guilty  of  using  vain,  arrogant,  and  irreverent  language  in  his  bold  pro- 
testations of  his  innocence,  and  in  his  loud  complaints  of  unkind  treatment 
fi-om  the  Almighty.  1-4.  He  speaks  of  the  unfathomable  counsels  and 
infinite  knowledge  of  the  Deity,  and,  like  his  predecessors  in  the  contro- 
versy, intimates  plainly  that  the  sufferings  of  Job  were  the  punishment  of 
wickedness  which  the  Deity  had  seen  in  him,  and  of  which  he  might  easily 
convict  him.  5-12.  He  assures  him  that,  if  he  would  put  away  his 
wickedness,  he  might  hope  to  regain  his  former  prosperity  ;  at  the  same 
time  threatening  him  with  severe  judgments  if  he  should  continue  in  his 
sins.     13  -  20. 

Ch.  XL  3.  Shall  thy  boastings :  i.e.  thy  false  assertions  respecting  thine 
innocence,  and  concerning  the  ways  of  Providence. 

4.  Thou  sayest.  My  speech,  or  discoui-se,  is  pure :  For  thou  pretendost 
not  to  have  offended  in  word  or  deed,  and  that  God  himself  can  find  no 
reason  to  condemn  thee.     Patrick.     See  ch.  x.  7. 

6.  His  wisdom,  which  is  unsearchable  !  This  rendering  expresses  the 
sense,  whether  we  regard   D'Sd3  as  signifying  comjdicated,  intricate,  or 

double,  i.  e.  manifold.     See  Ges.  in  verb.  —  God  forfjiveth  thee  many  oj 
thine  iniquities.     With  Ros.  and  Ges.,  I  take  PKO  in  the  sense  <o /or^d. 

T  T 

God  causeth  thee  to  forget  of  thine  iniquities,  i,  e.  forgiveth  a  part  of  them, 

7.  —  the  deep  things  of  God  ?    See  ^^'pX^  in  Ges.     Secretum  Dei,  Arab, 

Inquisitionem  Dei,  Syr. 


JOB.  209 

8.  Deeper  than  hell :  i.  e.  than  sheol  or  hades,  the  place  of  the  dead 
■without  distinction  of  character.     See  note  upon  ch.  xxvi.  6. 

10.  If  he  apprehend,  and  brins:  to  trial.  The  judgments  of  God  upon 
the  wicked  are  here  represented  by  figurative  language  drawn  from  the 
arrest,  imprisonment,  and  trial  of  a  criminal.     The  word  StiD"'!,  rendered 

and  brimj  to  iriaJ,  means,  literally,  and  gather  togdher,  as  in  the  common 
version  ;  it  refers  to  the  ancient  custom  of  gathering  an  assembly  of  the 
people  for  the  trial  of  a  criminal.  See  Prov.  v.  14  ;  Ezek.  xvi.  39,  40, 
xxiii.  46.  —  Who  shall  oppose  him  ?  i.  e.  Who  shall,  by  entering  into  an 
argument  with  the  All-wise,  defend  the  criminal  with  any  prospect  of 
delivering  him  T  or,  Who  shall  by  force  deliver  a  criminal  from  his  hands  ? 

11.  He  seeth  iniquity,  whenthey  do  not  observe  it.     The  words  pisn'  vh) 

have  been  explained  in  a  great  variety  of  ways.  I  suppose  the  verb 
to  refer,  by  an  enallage  of  number,  to  the  unrighteous,  in  the  preceding 
line,  or  to  man  understood  ;  and  that  the  meaning  is,  that  God  sees  in- 
iquities of  which  the  thoughtless  and  wicked  person  who  commits  them 
has  no  knowledge.  In  this,  as  in  the  next  verse,  I  suppose  Zophar  to  make 
general  remarks  with  particular  reference  to  the  case  of  Job,  who  had  so 
boldly  asserted  his  innocence.  Another  mode  of  understanding  the  line, 
which  has  perhaps  equal  claims  with  that  which  I  have  adopted,  is  that  of 
Cocceius  :  He  seeth  iniquity,  though  he  attend  not  to  it :  i.  e,  without  an 
effort  of  attention  ;  without  looking  carefully  for  it. 

12.  But  vain  man  is  without  understanding,  SfC.     JdS"'  seems  to  be 

used  in  a  privative  sense,  as  the  word  is  used  in  Piel  in  Cant.  iv.  9  : 
**  Thou  hast  deprived  me  of  my  heart ;"  as  it  were  Thou  hast  hearted 
me.  It  has  been  said  that  there  is  no  instance  in  which  the  privative 
signification  of  Piel  is  transferred  to  Niphal.  But,  in  the  last  edi- 
tion of  his  lexicon,  Gesenius  observes  that  in  Arabic  there  are  instances  in 
which  other  forms  of  the  verb  are  used  in  the  same  way.  It  is  therefore 
probable  that  a  similar  usage  prevailed  in  the  Hebrew,  although  from 
the  paucity  of  its  remains  no  other  instance  occurs.  Schultens  and  Dathe 
render, 

Let  then  vain  man  be  wise, 

And  the  wild  ass's  colt  become  a  man. 

According  to  this  version,  the  wild  ass^s  colt  is  used  figuratively  for  a 
perverse  and  obstinate  man. 

15.  Then  shall  thou  lift  up  thy  face  without  spot.  He  describes  the 
happy  change  of  his  condition  by  its  effects  in  his  countenance  ;  contrast- 
ing his  present  dejected  face,  sullied  and  disfigured  by  terror,  grief,  and 
tears,  with  the  look  he  shall  then  assume,  erect,  firm,  and  clear  as  the 


210  NOTES. 

polished  mirror.     He  may  refer  to  tlie  words  of  Job,  x.   15,  *'  I  dare  noi 
lift  lip  my  head."     Scott. 

17.  ^'ow  thou  art  in  darkness.  So  Merc,  Schult.,  Ges.  Ch.  x.  22  ; 
Amos  iv.  13.  The  Chald.  has  it,  Ohscuritas  tenebrarum  quasi  lux  matu- 
tina  erit.     The  Syr.,  Et  cali(/o  sicut  aurora  erit. 

18.  Thou  shalt  be  secure,  Sfc.  :  i.  e.  Thou  shalt  feel  secure  that  thy 
prosperity  will  be  peruianent,  on  account  of  the  bright  hopes  which  present 
themselves.  — J\^ow  thou  art  disappointed,  ^c.  The  Sept.  has  it,  ty.  !^( 
fik;^)un}^g  y.ai  ([noii  'n^ug  aiiKj  cxrsirui  fioi'^rij. 

19.  Thou  shall  lie  down,  ^-c.  A  metaphor  borrowed  fx'om  flocks  lying 
down  in  the  pastures.  As  in  Ps.  xxiii.  2,  "He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in 
green  pastures." 

20.  But  the  eyes  of  the  wicked  shall  be  wearied  out  :  i.  e.  by  anxiously 
looking  for  relief  from  their  miseries.  —  Their  hope  is  —  the  breathing 
forth  of  life  :  i.  e.  They  expect  no  deliverance  from  their  miseries,  but  in 
death.     Or,  Death  shall  be  the  issue  of  their  hopes. 


VIII. 

Job  begins  his  reply  to  Zophar,  and  his  other  friends,  with  a  severe 
sarcasm  upon  the  airs  of  superiority  which  they  had  assumed  ;  and  com- 
plains that  he  had  become  the  object  of  their  contempt,  for  no  other  reason 
than  his  miserable  condition.  Ch.  xii.  1-5.  He  reasserts  his  opinion  re- 
specting the  point  in  dispute,  maintaining  that  the  worst  of  men,  far  from 
receiving  the  punishment  which  they  deserve,  often  live  in  the  enjoyment 
of  ease  and  prosperity.  6.  They  had  spoken  to  him  of  the  wisdom  and 
power  of  God,  as  if  he  were  entirely  ignorant  on  the  subject.  Hence  he  is 
led  to  say  that  what  they  had  advanced  on  this  topic  is  trite  and  obvious  ; 
and  to  discourse  upon  the  power  and  providence  of  God,  in  a  style  of 
eloquence  well  suited  to  make  them  ashamed  of  their  pretensions  to  supe- 
rior intelligence.  This  discourse  may  be  designed  to  illustrate  generally 
the  power  and  wisdom  of  God,  as  contrasted  with  the  weakness  of  man  ;  and 
also  to  show  that,  in  the  distribution  of  good  and  evil.  God  acts  from  his 
sovereign  will  and  pleasure  alone,  and  not,  as  the  opponents  of  Job  contended, 
from  a  regard  to  the  merit  or  demerit  of  men;  that  he  treats  the  i-ighteous 
and  the  wicked  alike  ;  and  consequently,  that  nothing  wliich  he  or  they 
might  advance  on  the  subject  of  the  wisdom  and  power  of  God  could  prove 
him  guilty,  or  that  his  misery  was  the  punishment  of  his  sins.  7  -  xiii.  2. 
He  longs  to  transfer  his  cause  from  partial  and  misjudging  man  to  the 
omniscient  and  righteous  .Judge,  confident  that,  if  lie  could  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  pleading  his  cause  before  him,  he  should  not  fail  to  vindicate  his 


JOB.  211 

innocence.  3.  He  accuses  his  friends  of  partiality  and  injustice  ;  of 
taking  part  against  him  from  selfish  motives  and  a  slavish  fear  of  God's 
power,  rather  than  from  honest  conviction  and  a  disinterested  regard  to  God's 
honor.  4-11.  With  the  most  earnest  protestations  of  innocence,  the  most 
fervent  appeals  to  the  Deity  in  regard  to  the  justice  of  his  cause,  and  the 
most  pathetic  description  of  his  sufferings,  he  closes  ch.  xiii.  He  theti 
proceeds  to  give  an  affecting  view  of  the  miseries  of  human  life,  especially 
insisting  upon  the  shortness  of  it,  as  a  reason  why  man  should  be  exempted 
from  constant  and  extraordinary  sufferings,  xiv.  1-6.  He  complains 
that  man's  condition  is  worse  than  that  of  the  vegetable  creation  ;  since 
the  plants,  when  the  hand  of  death  has  apparently  been  upon  them,  come 
forth  again  with  renovated  beauty  ;  but  that  to  pass  from  a  life  of  wretch- 
edness to  the  never-ending  sleep  of  death  is  a  condition  too  hard  to  be 
borne.  He  intimates  that,  if  he  had  the  hope  of  a  second  life,  he  might 
be  encouraged  to  bear  with  patience  his  heavy  load  of  afflictions,  in  tlie 
hope  that,  at  some  future  time,  a  favorable  change  in  his  condition  might 
take  place.  But  not  entertaining  this  hope,  he  implores  the  Deity  to  grant 
him  a  trial,  so  that  his  true  character  may  appear  before  he  dies  ;  and 
earnestly  expostulates  with  the  Deity  on  account  of  his  dealings  towards 
him.  7-22. 

This  chapter,  as  well  as  many  passages  scattered  through  the  poem, 
renders  it  highly  probable,  either  that  Job  had  no  belief  in  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead,  or  in  a  future  state  of  existence  equally  desirable  with  the 
present  life  ;  or  that  the  author  of  the  poem  excluded  from  it  all  regard  to 
a  future  state,  as  inconsistent  with  its  general  plan  and  design.  It  con 
tains  several  assertions  of  man's  ceasing  to  exist,  so  fir  as  real  desirable 
life  is  concerned.  It  is  true,  that,  if  we  make  some  allowance  for  the  lan- 
guage of  strong  emotion  in  which  he  expresses  himself,  we  may  suppose 
that  he  had  some  vague  notions  of  the  existence  of  the  disembodied  spirit, 
in  a  half-conscious,  inactive  state,  in  the  interior  of  the  earth,  such,  for 
instance,  as  prevailed  among  the  ancient  Greeks,  but  more  gloomy  and  less 
definite  ;  an  existence  wholly  undesirable,  and  offering  no  equivalent  for 
the  loss  of  present  enjoyments  and  of  the  present  life.  See  ch.  x.  21,  22, 
and  the  note.  It  is  almost  impossible  for  the  human  soul  to  conc'eive  that 
its  consciousness  will  be  wholly  lost.  See  note  on  xiv.  22.  The  separate 
existence  of  the  soul  seems  also  to  be  implied  in  the  distinction  which  is 
made  between  slieol  and  the  grave  ;  the  former  being  represented  as  a  vast 
subterraneous  cavern,  where  all  the  spirits  of  the  dead  dwell  together. 
The  belief  in  some  sort  of  existence  of  the  soul  after  death  seems  also  to  be 
implied  in  the  credit  which  the  ancient  Hebrews  gave  to  the  art  of 
necromancy  See  1  Sara,  xxviii.  3-10.  But  the  language  of  this  chap- 
ter appears  to  be  wholly  inconsistent  with  the  supposition  that  Job  had  any 
expectation  of  a  desirable  existence  after  death.     It  was  reserved  for  the 


212  NOTES. 

Prince  of  life,  the  author  and  finisher  of  our  faith,  to  bring  the  glad 
tidings  of  great  joy  to  the  aching  hearts  of  men  —  to  bring  life  and  im- 
mortality to  light. 

Some  critics  have  endeavored  to  lessen  the  force  of  Job's  express  denials 
of  a  future  life,  in  this  chapter,  by  the  remark  that  he  only  meant  that  he 
coulil  not  hope  to  live  again  in  the  present  world;  but  that  he  might  still 
have  believed  that  he  should  exist  hereafter  in  a  better  world.  I  admit 
that  a  second  life  in  this  world  was  what  he  intended  to  deny  ;  but  I 
tliiuk  it  was  because  he  was  sceptical  in  regard  to  a  happy  state  of  existence 
after  death.  Heaven  he  evidently  regards  as  the  abode  of  Jehovah  and 
his  angels  alone  ;  and  hades,  or  the  under-world,  as  a  place  of  gloom  and 
horror.  If,  as  he  asserts,  the  hope  of  living  again  in  this  world  would 
have  affoixled  him  consolation  and  comfort  under  his  afflictions,  then  surely 
the  hope  of  a  happier  state  of  being  than  the  present  life  might  have 
afforded  him  still  greater  comfort  and  consolation.  How  can  it  possibly  be 
accounted  for  that  he  should  sink  into  despair,  because  he  could  not  hope 
to  enjoy  the  doubtful  good  of  living  again  in  this  world  of  sin  and  misery, 
whilst  at  the  same  time  he  believed  in  the  existence  of  a  world  of  happi- 
ness and  purity,  to  which  the  righteous  were  to  be  admitted  ?  See  note 
upon  ch.  xix.  25.  Inch.  x.  21,  22,  we  have  a  description  of  the  place 
where  Job  expected  to  be  after  death. 

Ch.  XII.  2.  —  the  whole  people  ?  i.  e.  ye  have  engrossed  all  the  wisdom 
in  the  world,  and  all  others  are  mere  brutes  or  fools  ! 

4.  1,  who  call  upon  God,  that  he  would  answer  me  ?  i.  e.  I,  who  am 
so  conscious  of  my  uprightness,  that  I  am  not  afraid  to  appeal  to  God,  and 
to  desire  that  my  cause  may  be  brought  to  trial,  and  that  the  Deity  would 
bring  his  charges  against  me,  and  show  me  the  reasons  of  my  afflictions  ; 
the  words  call  and  answer,  or  at  least  the  latter,  being  used  in  a  judicial 
sense,  as  in  ix.  16,  xiii.  22,  xxiii.  5,  xxxi  35.  Castalio  and  Dathe,  how- 
ever, give  the  same  translation  as  the  preceding,  but  understand  the  words 
in  their  common  acceptation,  which  is  less  suited  to  the  connexion. 

6.  Who  carry  their  God  in  their  hand  :  i.  e.  Who  trust  to  their  strength 
and  their  weapons,  and  have  no  regard  to  the  Supreme  Being.  See  Hab. 
1.  11,  and  note. 

7-9.  These  verses  are  probably  to  be  regarded  as  a  continuation  of 
verse  3  ;  the  intermediate  verses  being  parenthetical.  In  reference  to  the 
discourse  of  Zophar,  who  had  spoken,  with  considerable  parade,  of  the 
wisdom  of  God,  and  had  affected  to  consider  Job  as  ignorant  of  it,  or  as 
having  called  it  in  question,  he  remarks  that  what  Zophar  wished  to  teach 
him  was  so  obvious  that  it  might  be  learned  from  the  lower  animals.  They 
made  it  evident,  by  their  properties,  actions,  and  modes  of  life,  that  God 
created  the  world  by  his  \\isdorG.  and  that  he  governed  it  with  absolute 


JOB.  213 

dominion  ;  so  that  it  was  not  necessary  to  ascend  to  heaven,  or  to  go  down 
to  the  under- world,  to  obtain  such  knowledge.  See  xi.  7-9.  Others  suppose 
the  meaning  to  be,  that,  in  the  distribution  of  happiness  and  misery,  God 
is  so  far  from  having  a  regard  to  moral  distinctions,  that  even  of  the 
lower  animals  the  mischievous  and  rapacious  fare  well,  while  the  useful 
and  gentle  meet  with  harsh  treatment  from  man,  or  are  the  prey  of  the 
rapacious  of  their  own  kind. 

9.  —  among  all  these  :  i.  e.  these  irrational  creatures,  which  are  repre- 
sented in  the  preceding  verses  as  teaching,  declaring,  ^c,  and  in  this  verse 
in  the  way  of  poetical  exaggeration,  as  knowing  the  wisdom  and  power  of 
the  Deity,  which  they  so  plainly  declare.  It  is  said  that  "  with  the  Hin- 
doos, he  who  refuses  instruction,  and  will  not  be  convinced,  is  told  to  ask 
the  cattle."  Or,  in  reference  to  the  second  exposition  of  verses  7-9,  these 
things  may  refer  to  such  things  as  are  referred  to  in  ver.  6.  See  Is.  xxii. 
11.  Otherwise  —  hath  made  these  things  :  i.  e.  the  heaven  and  earth  and 
all  things  therein,  to  which  Job  may  be  supposed  to  have  directed  the  at- 
tention of  his  hearers  by  the  motions  of  his  hands,  or  of  his  eyes.  So 
Schult,  and  Cocc.  Thus  Job  declares  that  the  wisdom  of  God  is  so  plain, 
that  all  nature,  as  it  were,  feels  and  acknowledges  it  ;  but  he  means  to 
deny  that  this  has  anything  to  do  with  the  question  of  his  guilt  or  in- 
nocence. 

11,  12.  Doth  not  the  ear,  ^c. :  i.  e.  As  the  palate  distinguishes  the 
sweet  from  the  bitter,  so  the  ear,  or  rather  the  mind  by  the  ear,  discerns 
truth  and  falsehood  in  discourse  ;  and  wisdom  is  the  attribute  of  age  and 
experience.  The  connection  and  application  of  these  proverbial  maxims  are 
by  no  means  so  clear  as  their  general  meaning.  It  is  probable  that  he 
means  by  them  to  censure  his  friends  for  not  hearing  and  weighing  his 
observations  with  more  attention,  candor,  and  impartiality,  instead  of 
despising  and  rejecting  them  at  once. 

14.  Lo !  he  pulleth  down,  Sfc.  None  can  repair  what  He  tears  down, 
whether  houses,  castles,  or  cities.  —  He  bindeth,  S^c  :  i.  e.  None  can 
extricate  the  man  whom  he  casts  into  difficulties  and  straits.  Patrick. 
See  ch.  xxxvi.  8. 

15.  Lo  !  he  withholdeth  the  ivaters  :  whether  from  the  clouds  or  springs. 
■ —  and  they  are  dried  up.  The  waters  may  be  said,  in  a  popular  sense,  to 
be  dried  up,  when  they  cease  to  exist  in  their  fountains,  and  when  the 
heavens  seem  to  be  changed  into  brass,  and  the  earth  into  iron,  according 
to  the  expression  in  Deut.  xxviii.  23.  —  He  sendeth  them  forth.  This 
clause  describes  an  inundation,  such  as  might  happen,  in  Job's  country, 
from  the  torrents  caused  by  too  great  an  abundance  of  rain.     Scott. 

16.  The  deceived  and  the  deceiver.  A  pi'overbial  expression,  says 
Gesenius,  denoting  every  description  of  men.  — are  his:  i.  e.  all  alike 
depend  upon  him  for  their  powers  ;  the  subtle  and  the  weak  are  alike  sub- 
ject to  his  control,  and  subservient  to  the  purposes  of  his  providence. 


214  NOTES. 

17.  He.  Icadeth  counsellors  awmj  captive.  Statesmen,  who  promised 
themselves  success  and  victory,  as  the  result  of  their  plans,  he  disagpointa 
and  leads  into  captivity ;  and  judges  he  deprives  of  their  peculiar  attribute, 
reason  or  discernment.  Or  judges  may  denote  rulers,  whom  he  infatuates, 
and  leads  to  the  adoption  of  measures  which  end  in  their  own  ruin. 

18.  He  looi^eth,  c^-c.  :  i.  e.  He  dethroneth  kings,  and  leadeth  them, 
bound  in  chains,  into  servitude.  So  Mer.,  Schult.,  Ges.  But  Dathe 
reu  lers  the  verse, 

He  looseth  the  girdle  of  kings. 

And  he  encircleth  their  loins  with  a  belt : 

i.  e.  He  takes  away  their  authority,  and  he  invests  them  with  it.  But 
usage  does  not  favor  this  explanation,  as  Ros.  observes.  See  Gen.  xlii. 
24  ;  Judg,  XV.  13  ;  Ps.  cxlix.  8. 

19.  And  overthroiceth  the  mighty  :  i.  e.  the  mighty  men  of  war,  in  battle. 

20.  He  sealcth  up  the  lips  :  lit.  He  takcth  away  the  lips.  —  the  trusty  : 
i.  e.  persons  of  tried  wisdom  and  long  experience,  to  whom  the  people  are 
wont  to  repair  for  advice. 

21.  And  looseth  the  girdle  of  the  mighty.  As  the  Orientals  wore  long  and 
flowing  robes,  they  were  unfit  for  fighting,  or  for  any  kind  of  active  service, 
until  they  had  girded  up  their  loins.  Hence  to  loose  the  girdle  of  a  per- 
son is  to  take  away  his  strength,  or  power  of  resisting  an  enemy.  Schul- 
tens  and  others  suppose  the  girdle  to  be  a  badge  of  office,  and  that  to  loose 
it  means  to  deprive  those  who  wore  it  of  their  dignity  and  honors. 

22.  He  revealeth  deep  things  out  of  darkness.  Some  understand  this  as 
a  general  remark,  setting  forth  the  infinite  knowledge  and  power  of  God, 
who  can  bring  to  light  the  most  secret  things  ;  as  in  Matt.  x.  26.  So 
Merc.  Others  suppose  particular  secrets  are  referred  to,  such  as  plots, 
conspiracies,  or  the  deep-laid  plans  of  princes.  Others,  the  hidden  designs 
of  God  himself,  which  in  course  of  time  are  brought  to  light. 

24,  25.  He  take'h  away,  SfC.  Divine  infatuation  of  the  governing 
powers  is  here  described  in  forcible  language  and  striking  resemblances. 
In  their  confusion,  mistakes,  perplexity,  and  distress,  they  resemble 
persons  who  have  lost  themselves  in  the  Arabian  solitudes,  without  a  path, 
without  a  waymark,  without  a  light  to  guide  them  ;  and  their  irresolution 
and  unstable  counsels  are  like  the  reeling  motions  of  a  drunken  man. 
Scott. 

Ch.  Xni.  4.  — forgers  of  lies :  i.  e.  in  maintaining  that  great  afflic- 
tions are  peculiar  to  the  wicked  ;  and  that  I  am  guilty  because  I  am 
miserable. 


JOB.  215 

8.  Will  ye  be  partial  to  his  person  1  i.  e.  Will  je  utter  falsehoods  from 
partiality  to  him?  The  phf»ase  to  receive  or  accept  persons  was  probably 
borrowed  from  the  practice  of  corrupt  rulers  or  judges,  who  received  or 
admitted  to  their  presence  those  who  came  with  gifts,  and  favored  their 
cause. 

9.  Will  it  be  well  for  you,  if  he  search  you  thoroughly  7  i.  e.  If  he 
search  you  thoroughly,  will  he  not  find  that  your  condemnation  of  me  has 
sprung  not  so  much  from  honest  conviction,  as  from  the  selfish  desire  of 
winning  his  favor  ? 

11.  Doth  not  his  majesty  make  you  afraid  7  i.  e.  Is  it  not  a  slavish 
fear  of  whq,t  God  can  do  to  you  that  induces  you  to  condemn  me  without 
proof? 

14.  Why  do  I  take  my  fiesh  in  my  teethl    HD-S^.    "  To  take  the  flesh  in 

▼     — 

the  teeth,"  and  "  to  put  the  life  in  the  hand,"  evidently  mean  "to  risk 
the  life,"  as  what  is  carried  in  the  teeth  or  the  hand  is  liable  to  be 
dropped.  See  1  Sam.  xxviii.  21  ;  Ps.  cxix.  109.  The  meaning  is.  Why 
do  I  risk  my  life  by  asserting  my  integrity  befoi*e  God,  unless  because  I 
am  fully  conscious  of  it  ? 

15.  — I  have  no  hope!  This  is  the  literal  rendering  of  the  received 
text.  The  common  version  adopts  the  various  reading  )^,  in  him,  instead 
of  that  of  the  text  vh,  not.  I  prefer  the  latter,  as  the  more  difficult 
reading,  and  yet  quite  as  well  suited  to  the  context,  and  to  the  general 
plan  of  the  book. 

16.  This  also  shall  be  my  deliverance.  An  opportunity  of  appearing 
beftre  God,  and  pleading  my  cause,  will  lead  to  my  deliverance,  i.  e.  to 
my  vindication  from  the  charges  of  wickedness  and  guilt  which  have  been 
brought  against  me.  —  For  no  unrighteous  man  will  come  before  him  : 
i.  e.  For  I  shall  not  go  before  him  an  unrighteous  man.  Others  suppose  the 
meaning  to  be.  My  readiness  to  appear  before  God,  and  to  plead  my  cause 
before  him,  ought  to  be  considered  a  proof  of  my  innocence  ;  for  no  un- 
righteous man  would  dare  to  do  it. 

18.  —  that  I  am  innocent :  i.  e.  that  my  cause  is  just ;  or,  that  I  am  in- 
nocent of  the  charge  of  gross  wickedness,  which  is  alleged  against  me  as 
the  cause  of  my  calamities. 

19.  — contend  with  me:  i.  e.  maintain  the  cause  successfully  against 
me. 

22.  Then  call  upon  rAe,  Sfc.  These  expressions  import  that  he  aimed  to 
dispute  his  cause,  not  merely  before  God  as  a  judge,  but  with  God  as  a 
party.     Scott. 

26  For  thou  writest :  A  judicial  term,  referring  to  the  custom  of  writing 
the  sentence  of  a  person  condemned,  i.  e.  decreeing  his  punishment.  See 
Ps.  cxlix.  9  ;  Jer.  xxii.  30  ;  John  xix.  22.     So   the  Greeks  used  the  ex- 


216  NOTES. 

pression  yqaifio&ai  dlxriv  ;  and  amongst  the  Arabs  a  writing  is  a  term 
commonly  used  for  a>  judicial  sentence.  , 

27.  Thou  watchesi  all  my  paths  :  i.  e.  all  the  paths  by  which  I  might 
escape.  The  allusion  is  to  a  prisoner  who  is  not  only  fettered,  or  in  the 
stocks,  but  closely  watched  by  sentinels.  —  TTiou  hemmest  in  the  soles  of 
■my  feet :  i.  e.  by  a  trench,  beyond  which  thou  wilt  not  suffer  me  to  pass  ; 
i.  e.  thou  hast  stopped  my  way.     See  xix.  8 ;  Lam.  iri.  8,  9. 

28.  A7id  I :  lit.  And  he.  Upon  this  change  of  persons  in  the  Hebrew, 
see  Ges.  Heb.  Gram.  §  217.  ;  Storr's  Observ.  §  23.  The  Greek  idiom,  by 
which  tC)5s  cnd(Ji  is  used  for  iuoi,  has  some  resemblance  to  it. 

Ch.  XIV.  1.  — born  of  woman  :  This  is  said  in  conformity  with  the 
Oriental  sentiments  in  regard  to  the  inferiority  of  the  female  sex,  in 
ancient  and  modern  times.     See  ch.  xv.  14,  xxv.  4. 

3.  And  dost  thou  fix  thine  eyes  upon  such  an  one  7  This  expression 
denotes,  in  Zech.  xii.  4,  to  look  angrily  at  another.  Scott.  It  refers  here 
probably,  to  vigilant  inspection  for  the  sake  of  discovering  faults.  —  And 
dost  thou  bring  me  into  judgment  with  thee  ?  i.  e.  Dost  thou  treat  me  as  a 
criminal,  and  decree  against  me  severe  punishments  ? 

4.  Who  can  produce  a  clean  thing  from  an  unclean?  He  now  pleads 
for  lenity  on  account  of  the  natural  weakness  of  man's  moral  powers. 
Who  can  expect  so  frail  and  weak  a  being  as  man  to  be  without  faults  ? 
Who  can  expect  frail  man  to  be  as  pure  as  an  angel  ?  Vitiis  sine  nemo 
nascitur. 

6.  That  he  may  enjoy,  as  a  hireling,  his  day  !  i.  e.  That  he  may  enjoy 
his  term  of  life,  at  least  to  that  degree  in  which  the  hireling  enjoys  his 
term  of  service.  The  Sept.  favors  this  mode  of  translating  the  verse  : 
jinoOTa  arc'  ainov,  'ira  i^av^fuotj,  xui  it'dijy.i'oyi  ui'xuv  xov  [iloy,  aianfO  6 
uioS-onLg.  Otherwise,  Until  he  shall,  as  a  hirelings  have  completed  his  day. 
To  complete  or  accomplish   is  a  less  common  meaning  of  nVlj  but  not 

without  support.  See  Lev.  xxvi.  34,  41,  43  ;  2  Chron.  xxxvi.  21  ;  Is.  xl. 
2.  Others  render.  Until,  as  a  hireling,  he  shall  rejoice  in  his  day  :  i.  e. 
the  day  of  his  death.  Let  him  be  exempt  from  afflictions  during  the  com- 
mon short  term  of  human  life,  until,  weary  and  worn  with  service,  he 
shall  rejoice  in  the  day  of  his  death,  as  a  hireling  rejoices  in  the  day  of  his 
release  from  service. 

7-  12.  Compare  the  well-known  passage  of  Mosc^us.  Epitaph.  Bion.  105. 

The  meanest  herb  we  trample  in  the  field, 
Or  in  the  garden  nurture,  when  its  leaf, 
At  Winter's  touch,  is  blasted,  and  its  place 
Forgotten,  soon  its  vernal  buds  renews. 


JOB.  217 

And,  from  short  slumber,  wakes  to  life  again. 
Man  wakes  no  more  !  —  man,  valiant,  glorious,  wise. 
When  death  once  chills  him,  sinks  in  sleep  profound, 
A  long,  unconscious,  never-ending  sleep.     Gisborne. 

See  also  in  Dr.  Beattie's  Hermit  : 

'T  is  night,  and  the  landscape  is  lovely  no  more  ; 
I  mourn,  but,  ye  woodlands,  I  mourn  not  for  you  ; 
For  morn  is  approaching,  your  charms  to  restore, 
Perfumed  with  fresh  fragrance,  and  glittering  with  dew. 
Nor  yet  for  the  ravage  of  winter  I  mourn  ; 
Kind  nature  the  embryo  blossom  will  save  ; 
But  when  shall  spring  visit  the  mouldering  urn  ? 
0  when  shall  it  dawn  on  the  night  of  the  grave  ? 

10.  —  and  he  is  gone !  wlW\  This  word  means  to  be  so  entirely  pros- 
trated, overthrown,  or  weakened,  as  not  to  be  able  to  recover.  Man,  when 
dead,  has  no  strength  or  vital  principle  remaining  in  him,  by  which  he  can, 
like  a  tree  that  is  felled,  return  to  life.  A  more  literal  rendering,  such  as 
pass  away,  waste  away,  is,  by  English  usage,  synonymous  Avith  death. 
Gesenius  renders  it,  dahin  ist,  it  is  all  over  with  him. 

12.  Till  the  heavens  be  no  more :  i.  e.  Never.  For  things  unchange- 
able and  eternal  are  in  Scripture  compared  in  duration  to  the  heavens.  See 
Ps.  Ixxii.  5,  17,  Ixxxix.  29,  36,  37,  cxlviii.  6  ;  Jer.  xxxi.  35,  36.  Dr. 
Good  supposes  that  the  phrase  refers  to  a  definite  period,  that  of  the  gene- 
ral resurrection.  But  this  supposition  is  inconsistent  with  Scripture  usage 
and  with  the  context,  and  is  not  countenanced  by  the  most  respectable  of 
those  critics  who  suppose  the  general  resurrection  to  be  referred  to  in  ch. 
xix.  25. 

13.  O  that  thou  wouldst  hide  me  in  the  under-world  !  i.  e.  in  sheol  or 
hades.  Schultens  takes  great  pains  to  show  that  Job,  by  this  expression, 
does  not  wish  for  death,  but  only  to  be  shut  up  alive  in  hades.  But  if  we 
understand  him  to  wish  for  a  temporary  death,  the  connection  of  this  verse 
with  the  14th  will  be  closer.  Under  the  influence  of  passionate  emotion 
he  expresses  the  thought,  that,  if  he  were  by  death  removed  out  of  the 
sight  of  the  Deity  for  a  time,  his  wrath  might  subside,  like  man's  resent- 
ment, which  time  and  the  absence  of  the  object  of  it  weaken  or  extinguish. 

14.  If  a  man  die,  can  he  live  again  7  Here  he  checks  his  wish  for 
death  by  a  question  which  is  equivalent  to  a  negation.  A  man  once  dead 
cannot  live  again.  Else,  or  if  it  were  so,  I  might  have  strength  and 
patience  to  endure  all  my  present  afflictions,  until  my  change  should  come, 
i.  e.  until  I  should  be  relieved  from  my  hard  service  by  new  recruits,  or 
from  my  wearisome   station  by  a  fresh  guard  ;  i.  e.  until    a   favorable 

10 


218  NOTES. 

change  in  my  condition  should  take  place.  Or,  war-service  may  relate  to 
his  wished-for  residence  in  the  lower  world,  ver.  13,  and  his  change  to  his 
restoration  to  the  upper  world,  when  his  character  should  be  vindi- 
cated, and  his  happiness  restored.  The  poet  probably  means  here  to  make 
another  allusion  to  the  actual  history  of  Job  m  the  close  of  the  poem. 

15.  Call  upon  me,  and  I  ivill  answer  thee  !  So  Le  Clerc,  Schultens,  Ros., 
De  Wette.  Unable  to  bear  the  thought  of  going  out  of  the  world  under  such 
a  load  of  infamy,  and  having  no  hope  of  coming  back  into  it  again  to  clear 
his  innocence,  he  earnestly  begs  of  God  to  relent  towards  his  ci'eature,  and 
to  bring  him  to  immediate  trial.  The  terms  call  and  answer  ought  surely 
to  be  taken  in  the  same  judicial  sense  as  in  ch.  ix.  16,  xiii.  22,  xxxi.  14  ; 
the  former  denoting  the  action  of  bringing  the  complaint  ;  the  latter,  the 
part  of  the  defendant  in  replying  to  it.     Scott. 

16,  17.  As  a  contrast  to  the  regard  which  he  pleaded  for  in  the  foregoing 
verse,  and  as  a  reason  for  his  urging  an  immediate  trial,  he  here  sets  forth 
the  severity  with  which  God  treats  him  now. 

16.  — thou  number  est  my  steps:  i.  e.  thou  makest  strict  inquiry  into  my 
actions,  that  thou  mayst  find  out  all  my  errors,  and  punish  them. 
—  Thou  watchest  over  my  si7is :  i.e.  Thou  watchest  for  my  haltings  or 
miscarriages,  as  if  thou  wert  glad  of  an  occasion  to  punish  me.     Poole. 

17.  My  transgression  is  sealed  up  in  a  bag:  i.  e.  as  writings,  money, 
or  other  choice  things,  that  they  may  be  safely  kept,  and  brought  forth 
upon  occasion,  and  that  not  one  of  them  may  be  foi-gotten  or  lost.  See 
Hos.  xiii.  12.  "  The  money,  that  is  collected  together  in  the  treasuries  of 
eastern  princes,  is  told  up  in  certain  equal  sums,  put  into  bags,  and 
sealed."  Chardin.  — thou  addest  unto  my  iniquity.  Either,  thou 
addest  one  sin  to  another,  the  sins  of  my  youth  to  those  of  my  riper  age,  so 
as  to  swell  the  number  laid  up  against  me,  and  thus  to  increase  my  pun- 
ishment ;  or,  thou  makest  my  iniquity  greater  than  it  is.  Geseniug 
renders  it,  perhaps  correctly,  (see  in  the  Hebrew,  xiii.  4  ;  Ps.  cxix.  69,) 
thou  inventest  (falsehood)  unto  mine  iniquity  :  i.  e.  thou  chargest  me  with 
iniquity  falsely.  The  rendering  which  I  have  adopted  may  be  considered 
aa  a  milder  way  of  expressing  the  same  idea.  It  is  that  of  the  old  Geneva 
version,  i.  e.  the  English  version  made  in  the  time  of  queen  Elizabctl? ; 
which,  in  several  passages  of  this  poem,  is  more  correct  than  the  common 
vei'sion.     The  Chald.  has  it,  accumulas  super  iniquitates  meas. 

19.  So  thou  destroyed  the  hope  of  man:  i.  e.  the  hope  of  living  again 
after  death. 

22.  But  his  flesh  shall  have  pain,  SfC.  By  a  bold,  but  not  unnatural 
personification,  the  dead  man  in  his  grave  is  represented  as  conscious  of 
his  own  miserable  condition,  and  of  that  alone.  He  knows  not  of  the 
miseries  of  his  living  relatives,  but  his  body  consumed  by  worms  feels  its 
own  pain,  and  the  soul  in  the  underworld  mourns  its  own  sad  condition. 


JOB.  219 


IX. 

Eliphaz  begins  his  reply  to  Job  with  bitter  sarcasms  and  reproaches. 
He  censures  particularly  the  assertions  of  Job  respecting  the  indiscrimi- 
nate distribution  of  happiness  and  misery,  as  tending  to  undermine 
religion,  and  to  encourage  men  in  the  neglect  of  prayer.  He  says  that  the 
assertion  of  such  opinions  is  sufficient  evidence  of  his  guilt.  Ch,  xv.  1-6. 
He  then  lashes  him  severely  for  pretending  to  understand  the  ways  of  God 
better  than  those  who  were  his  elders  ;  and  for  his  passionate  complaints 
concerning  God's  dealings  towai-d  him.  He  repeats,  for  his  admonition, 
the  substance  of  the  oracle  which  he  had  brought  forward  in  his  former 
discourse.  7  -  16.  He  proceeds  to  give,  as  a  quotation  from  an  ancient 
poem,  a  highly  wrought  description  of  the  misery  which  in  various  ways 
pursues  the  wicked  man.  The  drift  of  the  whole  is  to  vindicate  Providence, 
to  condemn  Job  as  an  object  of  divine  wrath  on  account  of  his  wickedness, 
and  to  terrify  him,  if  possible,  into  a  confession  of  his  guilt.    17  -35. 

Ch.  XV.  4,  And  discouragest  prayer  before  him.  Literally,  lessenest 
prayer.  The  meaning  is,  that  Job,  by  maintaining  that  God  treated  the 
righteous  and  the  wicked  alike,  sapped  the  very  foundations  of  religion  ; 
since,  in  that  case,  the  wicked  would  have  nothing  to  fear,  and  the  righte- 
ous nothing  to  expect, from  him. 

5.  Though  thou  choosest  the  tongue  of  the  crafty.  He  gives  this  invidi- 
ous turn  to  Job's  protestations  of  innocence,  prayers,  and  appeals  to  God  ; 
which  he  represents  as  an  artful  address  to  the  passions  of  his  hearers,  in 
order  to  blind  their  judgment,  and  deceive  them  into  a  favorable  opinion 
of  his  piety. 

7.  Art  thou  the  first  man,  SfC. :   i.  e.   Hast  thou  lived  ever  since  the 
creation  of  the  world,  and  treasured  up  the  experience  of  all  ages  in  th^ 
own  breast,  that  thou  speakest  so  arrogantly,  and  with  such  contempt  o 
other  men  ?     Poole. 

8.  Hast  thou  listened  in  the  council  of  God:  i.  e.  in  such  a  council  as 
is  described  in  the  first  and  second  Chapters  of  this  poem,  where  the 
angels  are  represented  as  assembled  around  Jehovah  for  the  purpose  o 
giving  an  account  of  their  ministry,  and  of  receiving  orders  respecting 
the  government  of  the  world.  Eliphaz  sarcastically  inquires,  whether,  in 
consequence  of  being  admitted  into  God's  council,  he,  of  all  men  in  the 
world,  is  acquainted  with  his  purposes.  For  wisdom  seems  here,  as  in  ch. 
xxviii.,  to  have  special,  though  not  exclusive,  reference  to  the  wisdom  or 
purposes  of  God,  by  which  he  governs  the  world.  For  the  rendering 
drawn  all  wisdom^  see  Gcs.  Thes.  ad  jnj. 


220  NOTES. 

11.  — consolations  of  God.  Eliphaz  may  here  refer  to  the  oracle,  ch.  iv. 
17-21.  — words  so  full  of  kindness :  So  Cocc,  Schult.,  Ges.  By  their 
consolations,  and  ivords  of  kindness,  he  means  their  distant  intimations  of  his 
guilt,  their  warnings  insinuated  in  the  way  of  examples,  and  their  exhorta- 
tions to  confession  and  amendment.     Scott. 

1 2.  —  winking  of  thine  eyes.  To  ivink  with  the  eyes,  according  to  Hebrew 
usage,  denoted  arrogance,  haughtiness,  and  contempt.  See  Ps.  xxxv.  19; 
Prov.  vi.  13. 

19.  To  xohom  alone,  S^-c:  i.  e.  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  Arabia,  who 
had  not  been  corrupted  by  intercourse  with  foreigners.  It  was  no  modern 
or  imported  doctrine,  but  that  which  prevailed  amongst  the  earliest  and 
best  inhabitants  of  the  country.  Le  Clerc.  Eliphaz  here  speaks  like  a  gen- 
uine Arab,  whose  pride  is  in  his  tongue,  his  sword,  and  his  pure  blood. 
Umbreit. 

20.  Yea,  all  the  years  that  are  laid  up  for  the  oppressor :  i.  e.  he  is  in  eon- 
stant  fear  of  death.  He  is  not  secure  of  his  life  for  a  moment,  his  guilty 
conscience  continually  conjuring  up  fears  of  assassination  or  violence  of 
some  kind.     He  is  in  the  situation  of  Dionysius  of  Sicily : 

Districtus  ensis  cui  super  impia 
Cervice  pendet,  non  Siculas  dapes 

Dulcem  elaborabunt  saporem ; 

Non  avium  citharaque  cantus 
Somnum  reducent. 

Eor.  Carm.  III.  i.  17. 

With  this  description  of  the  condition  of  the  wicked  compare  that  of  Juve- 
nal, Sat.  xiii.  192. 

21.  In  peace  the  destroyer  cometh  upon  him.  Schultens  and  others  under- 
stand this,  When  there  are  no  signs  of  invasions,  insurrections,  or  plots 
against  him,  his  disturbed  imagination  is  continually  presenting  destruction 
to  him.     Post  eqciitem  sedet  atra  cura. 

22.  —  darkness :  a  common  metaphorical  expression  for  calamity.  His 
despair  of  escaping  some  unhappy  end,  assassination  for  instance,  is  de- 
scribed here.  Schult.  — set  apart,  ^x.:  i.  e.  destined  to  a  violent  death. 
So,  in  substance,  the  Sept.,  evreraKTai  yap  ^8r]  els  xe^pas  (ribfjpov. 

26.  And  ran  against  him  with  outstretched  neck:  i.  e.  with  his  neck  stooping 
and  stretched  out,  the  attitude  of  a  combatant  running  upon  his  adversary. 
—  With  the  thick  bosses  of  his  bucklers.  Schultens  has  shown  that  to  turn  the 
boss  of  one's  buckler  against  a  person  is  a  proverbial  expression  among  the 
Arabs,  meaning  to  become  his  deadly  enemy.  These  metaphors  drawn  from 
the  single  combat,  which  was  much  in  practice  in  the  ancient  wars,  are 
intended  to  express  the  most  daring  impiety,  atrocious  violation  of  God's 
laws,  and  contempt  of  his  vindictive  justice. 


JOB.  221 

27.  Because  he  covtred  his  face  with  fatness.  This  is  a  graphical  des- 
cription of  a  luxurious  and  licentious  person. 

30.  — darkness:  i.  e.  ruin,  destruction.  — his  branches:  i.  e.  his 
wealth,  power,  glory,  all  with  which  he  was  adorned,  as  a  tree  "with  its 
branches.  — by  the  breath  of  His  month:  i.  e.  of  God's  mouth.  The  des- 
truction of  the  wicked  man  seems  to  be  represented  under  the  image  of  a 
tree  destroyed  by  a  burning  wind,  (see  note  upon  ch.  iii.  5,)  or  by  light- 
ning ;  or  torn  up  by  a  tempest  sent  by  the  Deity.  See  ch.  iv.  9  ;  Ps.  xviii. 
15  ;  Is.  xi.  4. 

31.  — vanity.  The  term  vanity  has  two  meanings,  and  therefore  well 
represents  the  original.  In  the  first  line  of  the  verse  it  denotes  wickedness  ; 
in  the  second,  the  consequences  of  wickedness,  or  misery. 


X. 


The  speech  of  Eliphaz  was  admirably  fitted  to  carry  on  the  design  of  the 
poem,  by  irritating  the  passions  of  Job,  and  inflaming  his  discontent  with 
the  ways  of  Providence.  In  his  reply  he  gives  a  pathetic  representation  of 
the  inhumanity  of  his  friends,  and  of  his  other  severe  afflictions.  He  then 
makes  the  most  solemn  protestations  of  innocence,  and  expresses  an 
earnest  desire  that  his  cause  may  be  tried,  and  his  innoc»nice  vindicated, 
before  he  goes  the  way  whence  he  shall  not  return.  Ch.  xvi.  He  dwells 
upon  nearly  the  same  topics  in  ch.  xvii.,  and  ends  his  reply  with  the 
strongest  expressions  of  grief  and  despair. 

Ch.  XVI.  4.  —  string  together  :  lit.  tie  together  ;  nectere  verba.  Some 
prefer  the  rendering,  make  a  league  with  words :  i.  e.  raise  a  host  of 
words. 

7.  For  now  He,  SfC. :  i.  e.  God,  whom  he  addresses  in  the  next  line. 

8.  Thou  hast  seized  hold  of  me  :  "'JDDpil.    See  ch.    xxii.  16,  and  Ges. 

Lex.     The  meaning  of  both  clauses  of  the  verse  is,  that  the  afflictions  of 
Job  made  his  friends  believe  that  he  was  a  bad  man. 

9.  His  anger  :  i.  e.  God's.  The  image  is  drawn  from  a  wild  beast 
tearing  the  flesh  of  a  person  whom  he  is  pursuing.  —My  adversary  :  i.  e. 
God.  See  ch.  xiii.  24,  xix.  11.  — sharpeneth  his  eyes:  i,  e.  darts  pierc- 
ing looks  at  me,  or  looks  upon  me  with  fierce  and  sparkling  eyes. 

10.  They  gape :  i.  e.  My  friends,  the  instruments  of  God's  anger. 
—  they  assemble  :  i.  e.  like  conspirators,  to  eff"ect  my  ruin. 

15.  ^nd  thrust  my  horn.  See  Ges.  Rosenmiiller  supposes  the  meta- 
phor to  be  borrowed  from  some  strong  and  noble  animal  lying"  dead,  with 


222  NOTES. 

its  horn  thrust  into  the  ground  ;  and  that  the  meaning  is,  My  wealth, 
power,  and  glory  are  prostrate  in  the  dust.  See  Deut.  xxxiii.  17;  Ps. 
Ixxv.  5. 

16.  — deathlike  darkness.     See  note  on  ch.  iii.  5. 

18.  O  earth,  cover  not  thou  my  blooi.  He  compares  his  accumulated 
miseries  to  blood  unjustly  shed,  and  prays  that  his  injuries  may  not  be 
concealed  from  man  or  Heaven,  nor  remain  unavenged.  —  And  lei  there 
be  no  hiding-place  for  my  cry  ?  i.  e.  May  nothing  hinder  my  cry  for 
redress  from  ascending  to  heaven  '  See  ch.  xix.  7.  In  the  height  of  his 
emotion  he  forgets  that  it  is  God  who  hath  laid  him  low. 

19.  And  he  that  knoweth  me  :  nniJ^  lit.  my  witness  :  I  paraphrase  it  to 

avoid  repetition.  The  Sept.  has  it,  6  avrlaroio  yov,  probably  for  the  same 
reason.     Cranmer's  Bible,  And  he  that  knoweth  me  is  above  in  the  height. 

21.  O  that  one  might  contend:  i.  e.  in  a  judicial  controversy.  His 
meaning  is,  that  if  the  Deity  would  bring  his  charges  against  him,  he 
should  be  able  to  clear  himself,  and  vindicate  his  integrity.  See  ch. 
xvii.  3. 


Ch.  XVn.  3.  Give  a  pledge,  Sfc.  The  terms  in  this  verse  are  obscure, 
on  account  of  our  ignorance  of  the  ancient  forms  of  trial.  Job  seems 
again  to  challenge  the  Deity  to  enter  into  a  judicial  contest  with  him  in 
regard  to  the  uprightness  of  his  character  ;  and  desires  the  Deity  to  give 
a  pledge  that  he  would  not  avail  himself  of  his  almighty  power  in  the 
contest,  but  deal  with  him  upon  fair  and  equal  terms,  so  that  the  cause 
might  be  decided  according  to  strict  justice,  and  without  regard  to  the  rank 
of  the  parties  concerned.  —  Who  is  he  that  ivill  strike  hands  with  me  ? 
i.  e.  Who,  by  the  usual  form  of  striking  hands,  will  agree  with  me  to  be 
surety  for  thee  ?  See  Pro  v.  vi.  1,  xvii.  18,  xxii.  26.  This  challenge,  says 
Mr.  Poole,  savors  of  too  much  boldness  and  irreverence  to  God  ;  yet  see- 
ing Job  expresses  the  same  desire,  almost  in  the  same  manner,  in  ch.  ix. 
32,  33,  and  is  sharply  reproved  by  God  for  contending  with  him,  in  xl.  2, 
I  see  no  inconvenience  in  ascribing  the  same  thing  to  him  here. 

4.  Therefore  thou  wilt  not  suffer  them  to  prevail :  i.  e.  to  gain  the 
victory  in  this  contest.  Thou  wilt  rather  pronounce  me  innocent,  and 
censure  them. 

5.  He  that  delivers  up  his  friend  as  a  prey.     piVn,  for  a  prey.     So 

used  in  Gen.  xiv.  24  ;  1  Sam,  xxx.  24. 

6.  — their  abhorrence;  nSTi,  from   the   Chald.  n^n,  to  spit  out.      xai 

aTii(it}v  avrmq  yf?.oK.      Sept. 

8.  —  at  this :  i.  e.  at  seeing  so  good  a  man  oppressed  with  such  a  heavy 
load  of  afflictions.      — And  the   innocent,  Sfc  :  i.  e.   the   innocent  will 


JOB.  ^  223 

resolutely  oppose  tlie  "wicked,  wlien  he  judges  the  worse  of  piety  because  of 
my  afflictions.     Patrick. 

10.  —  return  :  i.  e.  to  the  debate. 

11.  Even  the  treasures  af  vuj  heart:  i.  e.  what  most  occupied  my 
heai't. 

12.  JSTight  hath  become  day  to  me  :  i.  e.  I  have  sleepless  nights.  I  am. 
as  much  awake  by  night  as  by  day,  —  The  lijht  hordercth  on  darkness  : 
i.  e.  The  day  seems  very  sliort.  The  daylight  seems  to  go  fis  soon  as  it  is 
come. 

13.  Vea:  DX,  a  particle  of  asseveration.     Hos.  xii.  11  ;  Prov.  xxiii.  18. 

See  Ges.  ad  verb.  — /  have  made  my  bed  in  darkness:  i.  e.  the  darkness 
of  the  grave.  I  sliall  soon  lie  down  in  the  grave,  the  only  place  in  which 
I  can  expect  repose. 

14.  /  say  to  the  jnt,  ^c.  By  these  strong  expressions  he  intimates  how 
near  he  belie ve<l  himself  to  be  to  death.  I  have  already  made  so  near  an 
alliance  with  death,  that  my  father  and  mother  and  nearest  liindred  are 
nothing  so  near  to  me  as  the  grave  and  worms.  Others  suppose  him  to 
express  a  strong  desire  of  death  in  this  verse. 

16.  —  bars  of  the  under-world :  Sheol,  the  gates  of  which  are  fastened 
by  massive  bars,  so  that  those  who  have  entered  it  cannot  return.  See  ch. 
xxxviii.  17;  Is.  xxxviii.  10;  Ps.  ix.  13,  cvii.  18.    Some  render  "''ns  solitudes 

or  vxistes,  with  less  probability.  See  Hos.  xi.  6.  Whe?i  together  there  is 
rest,  ^c.  Otherwise,  Vf a,  we  shall  descend  together  into  the  dust!  i.e.  I 
and  my  hopes  shall  be  buried  in  the  same  grave.  So  the  Sept.,  >;  oi/o^^u- 
yKa'^o)'  in  I  /ojiiuTOQ  y.ara(})jainif-dt(.  This  is  a  figurative  way  of  saying  that 
all  his  expectations  would  end  in  misery,  death,  and  corruption  ;  or  that 
these  were  all  he  had  to  expect. 


XI. 


In  the  eighteenth  chapter  Bildad  again  comes  forward,  full  of  resent- 
ment against  Job,  on  account  of  the  low  estimation  in  which  he  held  their 
discourses.  He  accuses  him  of  pride  and  arrogance.  He  reasserts  the 
general  doctrine,  maintained  by  the  friends  of  Job,  that  misery  implies 
guilt,  by  giving  a  highly  wrought  description  of  the  calamities  which,  as 
he  contends,  are  the  portion  of  the  wicked.  Tliis  description  contains 
some  particulars  closely  adapted  to  the  circumstances  of  Job,  and  was, 
without  doubt,  designed  to  intimate  that  Job  must  resemble  in  character 
those  whom  he  so  much  resembled  in  condition.     . 


224  NOTES. 


Ch.  XVin.  2.  Holo  long  ere  ye  malce,  Src.  Though  the  pronoun  is  in  the 
plural,  thei-e  can  be  little  doubt  that  Job  is  the  person  addressed.  —  Under- 
stand :  i.  e.  Consider  and  weigh  our  arguments. 

3.  He  refers  to  what  Job  had  said  in  ch,  xvii.  4,  10. 

4.  Thou  that  tear  est  thyself:  lit.  He  teareth,  ^c.  This  is  a  common 
Hebrew  idiom.  See  ch.  xii.  4,  xvi.  7,  xvii.  10,  xxxii.  15,  xli.  9.— Must  the 
earth  be  deserted  for  thee  7  SfC.  When  the  Orientals  would  reprove  the  pride 
or  arrogance  of  any  person,  it  is  common  for  them  to  desire  him  to  call  to 
mind  how  little  and  contemptible  he  and  every  mortal  is,  in  these  or  similar 
apophthegms  : 

What  though  Mohammed  were  dead  ? 

His  Imams  (or  ministers)  conducted  the  affairs  of  the  nation.  • 

The  universe  shall  not  fall  for  his  sake  ; 

The  world  does  not  subsist  for  one  man  alone. 

Lowth ,  Lect.  34. 

Most  critics,  however,  suppose  the  verse  to  have  a  more  definite  meaning. 
*'  These  are  proverbial  forms  of  speech  for  altering  what  is  fixed  and  un- 
changeable. The  meaning  is,  if  I  mistake  not,  that  God  must  give  up  his 
moral  kingdom  among  men,  or  violate  the  immutable  laws  of  justice  by 
which  it  is  administered,  if  such  a  man  as  Job  escaped  punishment.  This 
interpretation  makes  an  easy  transition  to  the  other  part  of  the  discourse, 
which  is  designed  to  prove  that,  by  an  unchangeable  rule  of  Providence, 
the  signally  wicked  shall  signally  perish."     Scoit. 

6.  Behold,  the  light :  —  the  flame,  ^c.  These  metaphors  denote,  in 
general,  splendor,  prosperity,  glory,  or  festivity.  There  is  an  allusion,  in 
the  latter  clause  of  the  verse,  to  what  the  Arabian  poet  calls  the  fires  of 
hospitality  ;  these  were  beacons  lighted  upon  the  tops  of  hills  by  persons 
of  distinction  among  the  Arabs,  to  direct  and  invite  travellers  to  their 
houses  and  tables.  Hospitality  was  their  national  glory  ;  and  the  loftier 
and  larger  these  fires  were,  the  greater  was  the  magnificence  thought  to  be. 
See  Pococke  in  Carm.  Tograi,  p.  iii.  A  wicked  rich  man,  therefore,  would 
affect  this  piece  of  state  from  vanity  and  ostentation.  Another  Arabian 
poet  expresses  the  permanent  prosperity  of  his  family  almost  in  the  very 
words  of  our  author  :  "  Neither  is  our  fire,  lighted  for  the  benefit  of  the 
night-stranger,  extinguished."  Hamasa,  p.  473.  Scott.  See  also  the 
note  on  ch.  xxxi.  17. 

6.  —  lamp  :  He  refers  to  the  lamp  which  hung  from  the  ceiling  of  the 
apartment.     The  Arabs  are  fond  of  this  image.     Thus  they  say  :  *'  Bad 
fortune  hath  extinguished  my  lamp  ;  "  and  concerning  a  man  whose  hopes 
are  remarkably  blasted  ;    *'He  is  like  a  lamp,  wliicli  is  immediately  extin 
guished  if  you  let  it  sink  into  the  oil."     See  Schult. 


JOB.  225 

7.  His  strong  steps  shall  be  straitened :  i.  e.  Instead  of  advancing  freely 
and  firmly,  in  a  wide  path,  he  shall  be  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  going 
timidly,  in  a  narrow  way,  full  of  obstacles,  where  there  is  great  danger  of 
stumbling.  This  is  a  very  common  metaphor  in  Oriental  poetry  to  denote 
the  loss  of  power,  prosperity,  &c.,  as  Schultens  has  shown  by  numerous 
quotations.     Strong  steps  are  free,  firm,  unimpeded  steps. 

11.  Terrors  are  here  represented  as  allegorical  persons,  like  the  Furies 
in  the  Greek  poets. 

13.  His  limbs :  ni;;  n3  :    lit.     The  limbs  of  his  skin :   i.  e.   of  his 

body.     —  the  first-born  of  death  :  i.  e.  the  most  terrible  death. 

14.  —  the  king  of  terrors.  This  is  probably  to  be  regarded  as  a  poet- 
ical personification  of  death,  considered  as  a  resident  of  the  underworld, 
comp.  XXX.  23.  It  is  not  to  be  considered  as  a  mythical  person.  For  there 
are  in  the  Hebrew  writings  no  clear  traces  of  a  king  of  Hades,  correspond- 
ing to  the  king  of  the  infernal  regions  in  Grecian  and  Roman  mythology. 
—  Otherwise,  Terror  pursueth  him  like  a  king.  But  the  rendering 
"  pursueth"  does  not  appear  to  have  sufficient  support  from  usage. 

15.  Brimstone  is  scattered  upon  his  habitation  :  i.  e.  it  is  destroyed,  like 
Sodom  and  Gomorrha,  by  fire  and  brimstone  from  heaven.  Grotius,  Le 
Clere,  Schult.,  and  Ros.  think  that  lightning  is  referred  to  both  in  this 
passage  and  in  Gen.  xix.  24  ;  Deut.  xxix.  23  ;  Ps.  xi.  6.  Pliny  says, 
(Hist.  Nat.  XXXV.  15,)  Fulmina  et  fulgura  quoque  sulphuris  odorem  habent 
ac  lux  ipsa  eorum  sulphurea  est.     And  Persius,  Sat.  ii.  24,  25.  : 

At  sese  non  clamet  Jupiter  ipse  ? 

Ignovisse  putas,  quia,  cum  tonat,  ocyus  ilex 
Sulphure  discutitur  sacro,  quam  tuque  domusque  ? 

graves  halantes  sulphuris  auras. 

Lucret.  VI.  222. 

Bildad  may  refer  to  the  circumstance  that  a  part  of  Job's  property  was 
consumed  by  lightning.     Ch.  i.  16. 

18.  Jlnd  driven  out  of  the  world  :  i.  e.  He  is  not  conducted  out  of  fife, 
as  Plato  expresses  it,  with  funeral  pomp,  by  a  numerous  train  of  relatives 
and  citizens,  but  is  cast  out  of  human  society  like  a  malefactor,  and  thrown 
under  ground  with  infamy  and  execration.     Scott. 


10* 


226  NOTES. 


XII. 


Job  begins  his  reply  to  the  harsh  and  passionate  invective  of  Bildad  with 
pathetic  complaints  of  the  inhumanity  of  his  friends,  in  regarding  his 
afflicted  condition  as  unquestionable  evidence  of  guilt.  He  maintains  that 
his  sufferings  are  not  to  be  charged  upon  himself,  but  upon  God,  who  had 
overwhelmed  him  with  calamities,  though  he  had  done  nothing  to  deserve 
them,  and  though  he  had  often  desired  to  be  brought  to  trial.  Perceiving 
that  the  representation  of  his  misery  had  no  effect  upon  his  hard-hearted 
friends,  he  suddenly  turns  from  them,  and  expresses  the  earnest  desire 
that  all  which  he  had  said  in  his  defence  might  be  recorded  upon  some  last- 
ing monument,  so  that  posterity,  at  least,  might  do  him  justice  ;  or  that  it 
might  remain  uneffaced  till  the  event  should  justify  it.  But  his  conscious- 
ness of  innocence  does  not  allow  him  to  stop  here.  He  is  not  satisfied 
with  the  tardy  justice  which  posterity  may  render  to  his  memoi'y  ;  and  he 
gives  utterance  to  the  firm  and  triumphant  conviction,  that,  low  as  he  is 
reduced  by  sorrow  and  disease,  he  shall  yet  live  to  see  the  Deity  stand  up 
in  his  favor,  and  vindicate  him  from  the  unfounded  charges  which  have 
been  brought  against  him.  He  also  warns  his  friends  that  the  time  will 
come,  when  they  shall  be  put  to  shame  for  their  injustice  and  cruelty  to- 
ward him. 

Ch.  XTX.  2.  —  break  me  in  pieces  :  a  metaphor  drawn  from  the  pound- 
ing of  kernels  in  a  mortar,  or  from  breaking  rocks  in  pieces  by  repeated 
blows  of  the  hammer. 

4.  Mij  error  abideth  with  myself:  i.  e.  I  alone  shall  bear  the  con- 
sequences of  my  error. 

Mihi  dolebit,  non  tibi,  siquid  stulte  fecero. 

Plaxd.  Menaech.  ii.  3. 

5  —  my  reproach  :  i.  e.  my  calamities,  which  bring  reproach  and  dis- 
grace upon  me. 

7.  Behold,  I  complain  of  wrong.  He  certainly  means  wrong  or  violence 
done  to  him  by  God.  This  language  is  extremely  harsh,  and  uttei'ly  in- 
excusable. It  is,  however,  nothing  more  than  what  he  had  already  said  in 
effect,  in  ch.  ix.  17,  x.  3,  xvi.  18.  Indeed  if  such  rash  speeches  as  these 
had  not  come  from  his   lips,   what  ground  would  there  have  been   for 


JOB.  -  227 

those  cutting  reproaches  in  xl.  8  :  "  Wilt  thou  even  disannul  my  judg- 
ment? Wilt  thou  condemn  me,  that  thou  mayst  appear  righteous  1  '* 
Scott. 

9.  And  taken  the  crown  from,  my  head  :  i.  e.  deprived  me  of  all  my 
dignity  and  honors.     See  Prov.  iv.  9. 

10.  —  I  am  gone  :  i.  e.  I  am  near  death.  See  x.  21,  xiv.  20;  Gen.  xv. 
2  ;  Ps.  xxxix.  13.  — like  a  tree:  which,  being  plucked  up  by  the  roots, 
does  not  grow  again. 

12.  His  troops,  ^c.  He  represents  his  calamities  by  metaphors  drawn 
from  the  siege  of  a  city. 

15.  — foreigners,  ^-c.  :  or  sojourners :  i.  e.  servants  not  born  in  his 
house  ;  or,  perhaps,  clients,  pei'sons  who  looked  to  him  for  protection  ; 
persons  connected  with  his  family,  but  not  residing  under  his  roof. 
Schulteus  says  that  the  same  word  is  used  by  the  Arabian  poets  to  denote 
the  dependents  of  a  great  man,  who  are  adopted  into  his  family  and  taken 
under  his  protection.  But  the  first  meaning  seems  to  agree  better  with 
the  connection. 

17.  My  breath  is  become  strange,  4"C.  i.  e.  My  wife  denies  me  her 
company  on  account  of  my  offensive  breath  and  sores.  Otherwise,  My 
spirit  is  become  a  stranger  :  i.e.  lam  become  a  stranger.  — children 
of  my  own  mother  :  lit.  children  of  my  womb  :  i.  e.  of  the  same  womb 
from  which  I  came. 

20.  And  I  have  scarcely  escaped  with  the  skin  of  my  teeth.  A  proverbial 
expression,  denoting  the  utmost  emaciation  from  disease. 

22.  Why  do  ye  persecute  me  like  God  ?  i.  e.  without  giving  any  reason 
or  account  of  your  conduct,  accusing  me  of  crimes  without  proof,  and 
condemning  me  without  trial.  —  And  not  rest  satisfied  icith  my  flesh : 
i.  e.  with  the  consumption  and  torment  of  my  whole  body,  but  add  to  it 
the  vexation  of  my  spirit,  by  your  grievous  reproaches  and  calumnies. 
Or,  according  to  Schultens,  Why  are  ye  not  satisfied  with  the  reproaches 
and  slanders  with  which  ye  have  already  tormented  me.''  Schultens 
remarks  that  to  eat  the  flesh  of  another  is  an  Arabian  phrase  for  caZwmwia^- 
ing  him.  One  of  their  poets  has  the  line,  "  I  am  not  addicted  to  slander, 
nor  am  I  one  who  devours  the  flesh  of  his  friend.  "  Another,  speaking  of 
his  calumniator,  says,  "  Who  worries  my  flesh,  and  yet  has  not  satisfied 
his  avidity."  The  phraseology  is  taken  from  a  wild  benst  rending  his' 
prey. 

23.  O  that  my  words  :  i.  e.  all  my  discourses,  all  that  I  have  said  in  my 
defence,  my  protestations  of  innocence,  my  appeals  to  God,  &c.,  so  that 
all  ages  may  be  able  to  judge  between  me  and  my  accusers,  and  to  know 
the  justice  of  my  cause. 

24.  —  and  with  lead :  i.  e.  infused  into  the  letters  engraven  in  the 
rock,  in  order  to  make  them  plain  and  legible.     See  Jer.  xvii.  1. 


228  NOTES. 

25  -  27.  The  desigu  of  this  passage  appears  to  be  the  same  with  that  of 
xvi.  19,  where  Job  exclaims,  "  My  witness  is  in  heaven,  and  he  that 
knoweth  me  is  on  high  ;  "  and  of  the  numei'ous  passages  in  which  he  de- 
sires and  prays  that  his  cause  may  be  brought  to  trial,  and  that  the  Deity 
may  pronounce  judgment  respecting  the  integrity  of  his  character.  This 
design  is,  to  express,  iij  a  striking  manner,  the  depth  and  sincerity  of  Job's 
conviction  of  his  own  innocence.  So  strong  and  clear  is  the  testimony  of 
his  conscience  in  his  favor,  that  what  has  heretofore  been  the  object  of  his 
ardent  wishes  and  prayers  is  now  become  the  object  of  his  confident  ex- 
pectation ;  and  he  expresses  the  firm  persuasion  that  God  will  be  the 
vindicator  of  his  integrity  from  the  charges  of  his  friends  ;  that  he  icill 
stand  up  on  the  earth,  as  a  judge,  and  decide  the  cause  in  his  favor  ;  that 
though  his  body  be  wasted  away  to  a  mere  skeleton,  yet  without  his  flesh,  i.  e. 
in  his  emaciated  state,  he  shall  see  God,  interposing  in  his  favor  and  taking 
his  side  in  the  controversy.  I  have,  in  this  edition,  preferred  to  give  the 
sense  without  to  "ip,  as  the   particle  is  used  in  xi.  15,  xxi.  9.     The  render- 

ing  of  the  Common  Version  "  in  my  flesh"  may  be  defended,  as  to  its 
sense,  by  taken  JD   in  its  usual  meaning  of  from,  and  understanding  Job 

to  say  that  he,  looking  out  from  his  flesh,  should  see  God.  Whichever 
rendering  be  preferred,  the  expectation  of  Job  refers  to  a  time  before  his 
death. 

It  appears  more  consistent  with  Job's  character,  and  with  the  design 
of  the  poem,  to  suppose  that  the  main  object  of  his  confident  expect- 
ation was,  not  restoration  to  general  prosperity,  but  the  vindication  of  his 
character  from  false  imputations.  He  has  the  conviction  that  a  just  and 
good  God  will  yet  make  it  appear  that  his  misery  is  no  proof  of  his  guilt. 
Throughout  the  poem  he  seems  to  regard  all  other  evils  light,  in  compar- 
ison with  the  loss  of  character  ;  and  to  desire  not  so  much  deliverance  from 
misery,  as  from  the  imputation  of  guilt  ;  and  thus  he  refutes  the  insinua- 
tion of  Satan,  that  his  piety  was  founded  in  selfish  motives. 

AVhether  Job  connected  the  recovery  of  his  health,  and  his  restoration  to 
general  prosperity,  with  the  vindication  of  his  character  by  the  Deity,  it  is 
not  very  important'  to  decide.  One  objection  to  this  supposition  appears  to 
be  very  futile.  Job  could  not  have  hoped  for  recovery  from  his  disease,  or 
for  restoration  to  prosperity,  say  some  critics ;  for  he  had  said,  more  than 
once,  that  he  had  no  hope,  and  that  he  was  near  his  grave.  As  if  a 
person,  who  is  represented  as  agitated  by  the  most  violent  and  opposite 
emotions,  could  be  expected  to  be  consistent  in  his  sentiments  and  lan- 
guage. What  can  be  more  natural  than  that  Job,  in  a  state  of  extreme 
depression,  arising  from  the  thought  of  his  wrongs,  the  severity  of  his 
afliictions,  and  the  natural  tendency  of  his  disease,  should  express  himself 
in  the  language  of  despair,  and  yet  that  he  should  be  animated,  soon  after, 


JOB.  229 

by  conscious  innocence,  and  the  thought  of  God's  justice,  goodness,  and 
power,  to  break  forth  into  the  language  of  hope  and  confidence  ? 

But,  for  the  reasons  before  mentioned,  it  is  probable  that  the  main,  if 
not  the  sole,  object  of  Job's  confident  expectation  was  tlie  vindication  of 
his  character  by  the  Deity.  The  writer,  however,  without  doubt,  intended 
that  the  whole  passage  should  have  relation  to  the  concluding  part  of  the 
poem,  where  the  Deity  is  represented  as  appearing  and  vindicating  the 
character  of  Job  by  calling  him  four  times  his  servant ;  by  rebuking  his 
calumniators,  and  pardoning  them  through  his  intercession  ;  by  declaring 
that  he,  and  not  his  friends,  had-  spoken •  that  which  was  right,  i.  e.  in 
regard  to  the  question  whether  misery  was  a  proof  of  guilt  ;  and  by 
giving  him  temporal  blessings  in  two-fold  greater  abundance  than  before 
his  affliction.  This  interposition  of  the  Deity  appears  to  have  been  kept 
in  view  by  the  writer  throughout  the  poem,  and  thus  the  mind  of  the 
reader  is  prepared  for  it. 

Of  the  objections  to  the  supposition  that  Job  here  expresses  his  confident 
expectation  of  a  resurrection  to  a  life  of  happiness,  a  few  will  be  briefly 
mentioned.  They  are  entirely  independent  of  the  question,  what  was  the 
general  belief  of  the  Hebrews  in  regard  to  the  state  of  the  soul  after 
death.  The  author  of  the  poem  may  have  been  more  sceptical  than 
others. 

1.  The  supposition  is  inconsistent  with  the  general  design  of  the  poem, 
and  with  the  course  of  argument.  The  belief  in  a  future  state  of  retribu- 
tion would  have,  in  some  measure,  solved  the  difficulty  respecting  the 
afflictions  of  the  good,  and  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked.  But  no  one  of 
the  speakers  alludes  to  it  in  the  course  of  the  poem.  If  it  be  a  declara- 
tion of  that  doctrine,  it  is  a  single  independent  declaration  of  it,  in  a 
work,  in  which,  from  the  nature  of  the  subject,  it  might  have  been  expected 
to  occur  upon  every  page. 

2.  It  is  inconsistent  with  the  connection  of  the  discourse.  Zophar, 
who  replies  to  Job,  makes  no  allusion  to  it,  but  goes  on  to  assert  the 
temporal  miseries  which  are  the  portion  of  the  wicked  and  of  their  child- 
ren. So,  too,  verses  23  and  24  lose  their  force,  if  we  suppose  the  state 
after  death  to  be  referred  to  in  the  passage. 

&  It  is  inconsistent  with  several  express  declarations  of  Job  in  other 
parts  of  the  poem.  See  ch.  vii.  7,  8,  x.  20  -  22,  xiv.  throughout,  and  xvii. 
11-16.  When  he  wishes  for  death,  he  speaks  of  it  as  the  termination  of 
his  miseries,  and  not  as  the  introduction  to  a  life  of  happiness.  Ch.  iii. 
It  is,  moreover,  too  much  to  suppose  that  the  influence  of  feeling  would 
have  led  him  to  deny  so  important  a  doctrine,  had  he  believed  in  it.  Under 
the  influence  of  opposite  emotions,  one  may  be  expected  to  express 
different  opinions  respecting  his  condition,  prospects,  &c  ,  but  not  to  deny 
BO  important  an  article  of  his  faith.     So  good  a  man  as  Job  would  naturally 


230  NOTES. 

have  been  led,  in  his  affliction,  to  cling  the  more  closely  to  the  doctrine  of 
a  future  life  of  happiness,  had  he  believed  in  it  ;  or  rather,  had  he  been 
represented  by  the  poet  as  believing  in  it. 

4.  It  is  not  urged  as  a  topic  of  consolation  by  either  of  the  three  friends 
of  Job,  nor  even  by  Elihu,  who  acts  the  part  of  an  umpire  in  the  contro- 
versy, and  who  gives  a  more  philosophical  account  than  either  of  the 
speakers  of  the  design  of  afflictions.  Nor  is  it  alluded  to  by  God  himself 
in  the  decision  of  the  controversy. 

5.  The  Jewish  commentators,  who  sought  for  every  shadow  of  proof  of 
the  doctrine  of  a  future  life  in  the  Old  Testament,  do  not  consider  this  as 
one  of  the  passages  by  which  it  is  supported.  The  same  remark  applies  to 
most  of  the  Greek  fathers.  Chrysostom  speaks  expressly  of  Job  as  "  a 
righteoiis  man,  who  knew  nothing  of  the  resurrection."  Ep.  ii.  ad  Olymp., 
&c.  The  supposition  that  this  doctrine  is  contained  in  the  passage 
derives  its  chief  support  from  the  mistranslation  or  misapplication  of 
certain  expressions  in  it.  See  also  the  prefatory  remarks  to  ch.  xii.,  xiii., 
xiv. 

6.  Ewald,  in  his  notes  on  the  passage,  being  convinced  that  it  cannot 
refer  to  the  resurrection  of  the  dead ,  brings  forward  a  new  hypothesis, 
namely,  that  Job's  hope  is  in  the  happy  existence  of  the  disembodied 
spirit  after  death  ;  the  immortality  of  his  soul  in  Sheol,  the  underworld. 
To  us  this  view  seems  still  more  contrary  to  the  expressed  opinions  of  the 
whole  book,  than  that  which  supposes  a  reference  to  a  resurrection  of  the 
body.  It  is  liable  to  the  preceding  objections  to  a  bodily  resurrection,  and 
is  more  specially  contradicted  by  the  author's  representation  of  the  state 
of  the  disembodied  soul  in  Sheol.  "We  have  already  stated,  p.  123,  that 
the  author  of  Job  entertained  the  common  belief  of  the  Hebrews  in  a  cer- 
tain future  existence  of  the  soul  in  Sheol.  But  it  was  as  a  mere  shade  of 
its  former  existence  in  the  upper  world.  It  was  without  hope.  xiv.  19, 
xvii.  11  -16,  xxi.  26,  and  had  a  mere  consciousness  of  existence,  without 
activity  or  enjoyment,  x.  21,  22,  xi-».  II  -14.  So  in  Ps.  vi.  5.  ''In  Sheol, 
who  can  give  thee  thanks  ? "  Is.  xiv.  10.  "Art  thou  also  become  weak  as 
we?  " 

No  doubt  it  would  be  agreeable  to  every  Christian  interpreter  to  find  the 
doctrine  of  a  blessed  immortality  beyond  the  grave  in  every  ancient  book. 
But  why  believers  in  Christ  should  wish  to  force  it  into  books  where  it 
does  not  exist,  it  is  not  easy  to  perceive. 

25.     — my  Vindicator:  "'SnJ.     This  term,  in  its  primitive  sense,  was 

applied  to  the  person  whose  duty  it  was  to  maintain  the  rights,  interests, 
and  reputation  of  a  near  relative,  either  by  repurchasing  his  mortgaged 
inheritance,  by  max-rying  his  widow,  and  saving  his  family  from  extinction, 
by  redeeming  him  from  servitude,  or  by  avenging  his  blood.  In  this 
passage  it  is  figuratively  applied  to  the  Deity,  as  taking  the  part  and 


JOB.  231 

vindicating  the  character  of  Job  against  the  cruel  treatment  and  false 
accusations  of  his  friends.  It  is  elsewhere  applied  to  the  Deity  in  the  more 
general  sense  of  a  deliverer  from  calamities  of  any  kind.  The  term 
redeemer  might  be  retained,  as  a  figurative  expression  for  a  deliverer 
from  reproach  and  calumny ;  but  it  would  be  less  intelligible  than  the 
term  vindicator,  and  more  likely  to  be  misapplied.  That  there  is  no 
allusion  to  Christ  in  the  term,  nor  to  the  resurrection  to  a  life  of  happiness 
in  the  passage,  has  been  the  opinion  of  the  most  judicious  and  learned 
critics  for  these  last  three  hundred  years  ;  such  as  Calvin,  Mercier, 
Grotius,  Le  Clerc,  Patrick,  Warburton,  Durell,  Heath,  Kennicott,  Doeder- 
lein,  Dathe,  Eichhorn,  Jahn,  De  Wette,  Heiligstedt,  Hirzel,  and  many 
others.  —  And  will  stand  up  :  i.  e.  appear  or  interpose  to  decide  the  con- 
troversy. Ps.  xii.  5,  "For  the  sighing  of  the  needy  now  will  I  arise, 
(or  stand  up,)  said  the  Lord."  xliv.  26,  "  Arise,  (or  stand  up,)  for  our 
help,  and  redeem  us."  xciv.  16  ;  Jer.  ii.  27.  — hereafter,  or,  at  last; 
or,  at  length  ;  tandem,  Dathe  ;  postremo,  Cast.  ;  posthac,  Doed.    pinx  is 

used  adverbially,  3  or  S  being  omitted.  See  Is.  viii.  23,  xxx.  8  ;  Numb.  ii. 
81;  1  Sam.  xxix.  2  ;  Prov.  xxix.  11,  xxxi.  25.  The  rendering  of  the 
common  version  is  entirely  unsupported  by  usage.  —  on  the  earth. 
^}^-h}^.     See  ch.  xxxix.   14,  xli.   25.     Lit.  upon  dust.     Possibly  the  ex- 

pression  dust  is  emphatic,  as  contrasted  with  heaven,  the  usual  residence 
of  the  Creator. 

26.  And  though  with  my  skin  this  body   be  wasted  away.     So  Ros., 
Eich.,  and  De  Wette.     Or,  the  pronoun  ni<?  may  agree  with  ■•nij^,  and  the 

line  be  rendered,  And  after  this  skin,  or  body,  of  mine  is  wasted  away. 
According  to  either  rendering,  the  meaning  will  be.  Although  I  should  be 
reduced  by  disease  and  sorrow  to  a  still  lower  condition  than  I  am  at 
present.  The  rendering  which  Gesenius  adopts  in  his  Thesaurus  does  not 
strike  me  favorably  :  And  after  my  body  is  wasted  away,  ihis — supply 
shall  happen.  The  expression  wasted  away  does  not  imply  the  death  of 
Job,  but  only  that  he  should  be  extremely  reduced  by  disease  ;  —  without 
my  flesh,  i.  e.  reduced  to  a  skeleton. 

27.  —  my  friend:  ■'^,  lit.  for  me,  or  on  my  side.     It  is  so  rendered  in 

Ps.  cxxiv.  1,  "  If  it  had  not  been  the  Lord,  who  was  on  our  side,"  &c.  — 
and  not  another, ^c.  i.  e.  in  my  absence,  after  I  am  dead.  An  emphatic 
expression  of  Job's  confidence  that  before  his  death  he  should  see  the 
favor  of  God.  — For  this  my  soul  pant eth  within  me:  lit.  my  reins  are 
consumed :  i.  e.  with  desire  to  see  that  happy  day.  So  Patrick,  Dathe, 
Ros.,  De  Wette,  Ges.     See  Ps.  Ixxx'v.  2,  cxix.  81,  82,  cxliii.  7. 

28.  And  find  grounds  of  accusation  against  him  ?    So  the  Sept.  and 
Vulg.     So  Ros.  and  Ges. 


232  NOTES. 


XIII. 


ZoPHAR,  not  softened  by  the  earnest  and  pathetic  appeals  of  Job,  nor 
convinced  by  his  solemn  protestations  of  innocence,  but  rather  provoked 
by  the  impressive  warning  with  which  he  had  closed  his  last  discourse, 
proceeds  to  portray,  by  new  images  and  striking  examples,  the  calamities 
which  in  all  ages  had  been  the  lot  of  the  wicked.  He  infers  that  Job  re- 
sembles those  in  character  whom  he  resembles  in  condition. 

Ch.  XX.  10.  His  sons  shall  seek  the  favor  of  the  poor  :  i.  e.  the  poor 
whom  their  father  had  plundered,  and  who  may  require  satisfaction  or 
reparation.  Or  it  may  mean,  generally,  that  they  shall  be  so  much 
reduced  as  to  seek  the  good-will  and  assistance  of  the  most  destitute  and 
abject  ;  a  stronger  expression  than  if  he  had  merely  said  that  they  should 

become  poor.     It  is  placing  them  below  poverty  itself ^nd  their  hands  : 

i.  e.  the  hands  of  the  children  of  the  oppressor :  lit.  his  hands.  The 
singular  pronoun  is  in  Hebrew  not  unfrequently  thus  used.  So  Deut.  xxi. 
10,  *'  When  thou  goest  forth  against  thine  enemies,  and  God  gives  him 
into  thine  hand."     See  Gesenius'  Gram.  §  143. 

11.  His  bones  are  full  of  youth  :  i.  e.  of  youthful  vigor.  So  Ges. 
The  same  word  is  used  in  ch.  xxxiii.  25  ;  Ps.lxxxix.  45,  The  meaning  is, 
He  shall  be  cut  off  in  his  youth  —  in  the  fulness  of  his  strength.  So  the 
Sept.     The  Syr.  and  Arab,  have  it  marrow.     The  Chald.,  strength. 

12.  Though  wickedness,  8fC.  The  wickedness  in  which  he  takes  so 
much  pleasure  is  avarice,  with  its  accompanying  crimes,  oppression,  in- 
justice, and  cruelty.  The  pleasui*e  which  a  depraved  mind  has  in  the  in- 
dulgence of  its  criminal  inclination  is  compared  to  an  epicure's  enjoyment 
of  some  delicious  morsel. 

14.  Yet  his  meat  shall  be  changed  within  him.:  i.  e.  changed  into  some- 
thing of  an  opposite  nature  as  from  sweet  to  bitter,  from  nutritious  to 
poisonous.  His  meat  is  riches  acquired  by  oppression  ;  but  it  is  poisoned. 
A  curse  is  connected  with  iniquitous  acquisition.  This  is  the  poison  of  asps 
to  him,  even  the  Divine  vengeance.     Scott. 

15.  He  hath  glutted,  ^-c.  The  original  word  is  very  forcible.  The 
metaphor  included  in  it  is  drawn  from  a  ravenous  beast  devouring  his 

prey,  denoting  great  voracity. ^nd  he  shall  throw  them  up  again  :  as 

an  epicure  does  that  which  he  has  drunk  or  swallowed  with  greediness  and 
delight.  The  sudden  loss  of  his  iil-gotten  wealth,  and  the  intolerable 
anguish  of  his  mind  in  suffering  such  loss,  are  involved  in  this  strong 


JOB.  233 

metaphor.     The  curse  or  vengeance  of  God  will  bring  this  punishment  ; 
God  shall  cast  them  out  of  him. 

16.  He  shall  suck  the  poison  of  asps.  That  which  he  greedily  swallowed, 
as  pleasant  nutriment,  shall  be  as  destructive  to  him  as  the  poison  of  asps. 

17.  — rivers  of  honey  and  milk.  These  are  Oriental  emblems  of 
abundance  and  felicity.  The  wicked  man  shall  not  have  that  secure  and 
permanent  enjoyment  of  the  good  things  of  this  life  which  he  expected,  or 
which  is  promised  to  the  good. 

18.  It  is  substance  to  be  restored.  See  Ges.  upon  HIIDn.  So  De 
Wette.  "     • 

20.  Because  he  knew  no  rest,  <§-c ;  i.  e.  because  his  cupidity  was  in- 
satiable. 

21.  Because  nothing  escaped  his  greediness  :  i.  e.  his  rapacity.  So 
Heath,  Ros.,  and  De  Wette.  — His  prosperity  shall  not  endure.  JVon 
durabit  bonum  ejus.  Syr.  JVihil  permanebit  de  bonis  ejus.  Vulg. 
ov>i  ar&'ahi  uihov  t'u  aya-9u.      Sept. 

22.  Every  hand  of  the  wretched:  i.  e.  Every  blow  or  wound  which  cometh 
upon  the  wretched.  So  in  ch.  xxiii.  2,  "  My  wound  is  deeper,"  Sf-c,  is,  in 
the  original,  My  hand  is  deeper,  ^c. ;  the  instrument  being  used  for  the  effect. 
Omnis  dolor.     Vulg.     Tracra'dvayKr}-     Sept. 

23.  He  shall,  indeed,  have  wherewith  to  fill  himself.  This  is  said 
sarcastically.  The  next  line  shows  what  sort  of  food  he  was  to  have. 
— for  his  food.     IQ-inSs.     So   Schult.,   Ges.,  and  Ros.     See  Ps.   xi.  6. 

Similar  images  occur   in  the  Koran.     Thus  :    Qui  occultant  quod  Deus 
revelavit,  illi  non  edent  in  ventribus  suis  nisi  ignem. 

24.  He  fleeth,  SfC.  This  was  probably  a  proverbial  expression,  like 
that  in  Latin,  Incidit  in  Scyllam,  cupiens  vitare  Charybdim. 

26.  — is  treasured  up  for  him:  lit.  is  hidden,  or  laid  up,  for  his 
treasures.  See  Rom.  ii.  5. —  A  fire,  not  blown:  i.  e.  not  kindled  by  man, 
but  sent  from  heaven  :  i.  e.  lightning. 

27.  The  heavens  shall  reveal  his  iniquity  :  i.  e.  by  lightning,  for  in- 
stance, such  as  destroyed  the  herds  of  Job,  or  by  storms  of  wind,  such  as 
destroyed  his  children.  —  And  the  earth  shall  rise  up  against  him  :  i.  e. 
when  wild  beasts,  venomous  serpents,  or  bands  of  robbers  shall  destroy 
his  substance. 


234  NOTES. 


XIV. 


The  opponents  of  Job  had  persisted  in  maintaining  that  great  calamities 
■were  a  proof  of  uncommon  guilt  ;  that  they  were  the  portion  of  the 
wicked,  and  of  them  only.  This  position  Job  overthrows,  by  adducing 
instances  of  impious  men  who  pass  their  lives  in  ease  and  prosperity,  enjoy 
a  comfortable  old  age,  and  are  favored  with  an  easy  death.  Ch.  xxi.  6-15. 
They  might  object,  that  the  fear  of  reverses  must  mar  the  enjoyment  of 
the  guilty  ;  but  he  contends  that  such  reverses  happen  so  seldom,  that 
the  bad  have  not  more  reason  to  fear  them  than  the  good.  16  -  18.  They 
might  say  that  the  children  of  the  impious  man  suifered,  if  he  did  not  ; 
but  he  asserts,  with  justice,  that  this  is  no  punishment  to  the  oifender  who 
is  numbered  with  the  dead.  19  -  21  He  maintains,  that,  of  two  persons 
of  the  same  character,  one  might  be  seen  enjoying  uninterrupted  prosper- 
ity, and  the  other  suffering  misery  without  cessation  ;  and  that  both  came 
to  the  same  end.  22  -  26.  Perceiving  by  theu'  looks  that  they  were  not 
satisfied,  but  still  regarded  his  miserable  condition  as  evidence  of  his  guilt, 
he  appeals  to  the  testimony  of  travellers,  who  would  mention  instances  of 
great  oppressors  who  had  escaped  in  a  time  of  general  destruction,  and 
died  a  peaceful  death  ;  who  had  been  buried  with  great  pomp,  and  had 
had  so  splendid  a  monument  erected  to  their  njemory  that  they  almost 
seemed  to  flourish  and  live  again  in  their  very  tombs.  27  -  34. 

Ch.  XXI.  2.  And  loi  this  be  your  consolation  :  i.  e  I  will  regard  your 
candid  attention  as  an  equivalent  for  those  consolations  which  I  had  reason 
to  expect  from  you, 

4.  Is  my  complaint  concerning  man  ?  The  preposition  7  means  of  or 
concerning,  in  Gen.  xx.  13,  and  elsewhere.  See  Ges.  He  seems  to  in- 
timate that  he  had  not  so  much  reason  to  complain  of  man  or  of  his  friends, 
as  of  the  severe  atflictions  which  he  received  from  God,  whilst  so  many 
wicked  men  enjoyed  prosperity.  —  Why  then  should  I  not  be  angry? 
diuTL  ov  ^i  uw-ftilaouui  ;  Sept.  He  seems  to  consider  the  fact  that  his 
misery  was  sent  upon  him  by  God,  notwithstanding  his  endeavors  to  please 
him,  as  a  sufficient  reason  for  his  impatience  and  complaints. 

5.  Look  upon  me,  Sfc.  Silent  astonishment,  instead  of  censure,  should 
be  the  effect  of  beholding  a  man  of  integrity  and  piety  in  my  afflicted 
condition,  while  so  many  contemners  of  God,  and  oppressors  of  his  crea- 
tures, are  happy  in  life  and  fortunate  in  death. 

6.  When  I  think  of  it :  i.  e.  of  what  follows,  viz.,  the  prosperous 
condition  of  tlic  wicked. 


JOB.  235 

12.  They  sing,  4'C.     •IXli/"',  scil.  *?lp,  attollunt  vocem.     See  Is.  xlii.  2. 

13.  And  in  a  moment,  ^c.  This  assertion  is  opposed  to  Zophar's  re- 
presentation of  the  terrible  death  of  such  men,  in  ch.  xx.  24,  25.  See  also 
ch.  xviii.  12,  13.  This  is  that  sudden  and  easy  death,  in  a  green  old  age, 
without  pain ,  without  lingering  sickness,  and  whde  their  families  are 
flourishing  around  them,  which  Tiresias  predicts  to  Ulysses  in  the  shades  : 
"  Death  shall  come  to  thee  from  the  sea.  It  shall  be  a  gentle  death.  It 
shall  come  when  thou  art  subdued  by  a  happy  old  age,  and  thy  peop'e 
about  thee  are  happy."  Odyss.  xi.  133,  &c.  Scutt.  So  Suetonius,  after 
describing  the  death  of  Augustus,  says  :  Sortitus  est  exitum  facilem,  et 
qualem  semper  optaverat.  Nam  fere,  quo  ties  audisset  cito  ac  nullo 
sruciatu  de  unctum  quempiam,  sibi  et  suis  sv&uraniav  similem  (hoc  enim  et 
verbo  uti  so'ebat)  precabatur.     Life  of  Augustus,  §  99. 

16.  Thou  say  est,  ^-c.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that,  in  the  first  line,  at 
least,  of  this  verse.  Job  refers  to  the  sentiments  advanced  by  his  opponents, 
and  probably  in  both.  Some  suppose  that  the  first  line  is  ironical  ;  and 
that,  in  the  second.  Job  expresses  his  abhorrence  of  wickedness,  notwith- 
standing the  prosperity  which  often  accompanies  it. 

17.  How  often  happens  it,  ^c.  This  question  is  equivalent  to  the 
assertion  that  the  wicked  are  seldom  in  adversity  and  misery.  It  is  thus 
an  answer  to  the  assertion  in  the  preceding  verse. 

21.  — is  completed :  i.e.  according  to  Cocceius,  is  reckoned  in  full 
tale  :   i.  e.   when  he  has  lived  out  the  whole  term  of  human  life. 

22.  Who  then  shall  impart  knowledge  to  God,  ^c.  Shall  we  be  so  bold 
as  to  instruct  God  how  to  govern  the  world,  and  to  tell  him  that  he  is  not 

just,  unless  he  punish  the  wicked  when  we  expect  it  ?  He  judges  the 
highest  beings,  and  therefore  surely  knows  how  to  govern  us.  He  that 
rules  the  world  of  spirits  surely  knows  how  to  manage  the  little  concerns 
of  mankind. 

24.  His  sides,  SfC.  Otherwise,  His  pastures  are  full  of  7nilk.  See 
Ges.  upon  PD^.   Lalera  ejus  plena  adipe.     Arab,  and  Syr,     tu  Ss  ty/.axa 

avrov  7if.i',oij  nituToc.     Sept.      Viscera  ejus  plena  sunt  adipe.    Vulg. 

28.  For  ye  say,  ^c.  Although  thes'e  questions  relate  to  tyrannical 
princes  in  general,  and  to  other  wicked  men  in  high  stations,  they  are  in- 
tended to  be  applied  to  Job's  overthrow  in  particular.  His  adversaries 
still  insisted  that  destructive  calamities  are  the  usual  portion  of  the  wicked; 
and  that,  such  calamities  being  his  portion,  there  was  wanting  no  other 
evidence  of  his  guilt.  But  the  testimony  of  travellers,  as  he  tells  them, 
shows  the  falsity  of  their  premises,  and  therefore  of  the  conclusion  drawn 
from  them.     Scott. 

30.  That  the  wickei  is  spared  in  the  dnj  of  destruction  :  i.  e.  when 
destruction  comes  upon  other  men.     So  Merc  ,  Schult  ,  Pat.,  Ros.,  and 


23G  NOTES. 

(Jes.  —  A/id  that  he  is  borne  to  his  grave  in  the  day  of  wrath.  See  ver. 
32,  and  x.  19.     He  dies  a  natural,  peaceful  death. 

32.  Even  this  man,  Sfc.  He  is  too  powerful  to  be  called  to  account  by 
man,  and,  not  meeting  with  chastisement  from  God,  he  goes  to  the  grave 
with  all  the  honors  of  intei'ment  usually  paid  to  personages  of  the  highest 
rank.  Scott. —  Vea,  he  still  watches  over  his  tomb.  So  Dathe,  Ros., 
Eichhorn,  and  De  Wette.  He  enjoys,  as  it  were,  a  second  life  upon  his 
t<jiub,  in  the  honors  paid  to  his  memory,  his  splendid  monument,  and  the 
fame  he  leaves  behind  him.  xal  uiWiig  inl  ao^nou-  i]yqrTTvy^nsv.  Sept. 
El  super  congeriem  vigilabit.  Chald.  Et  in  congerie  mortuorum  vigila- 
nt.    Vulg. 

38.  —  the  sods  of  the  valley,  SfC.  These  words  also  seem  to  suppose 
that  the  person  who  is  buried  may  partake,  in  some  respects,  of  the  pros- 
perous state  of  the  tomb  which  contains  him.  See  the  note  on  ch.  xiv. 
22.  Such  an  idea  seems  to  have  been  indulged  by  Sultan  Amurath  the 
Great,  who  died  in  1450.  "  Presently  after  his  death,  Mahomet  his  sonne, 
for  feare  of  some  innovation  to  be  made  at  home,  raised  the  siege,  and  re- 
turned to  Iladrianople  :  and  afterwards  with  great  solemnitie  buried  his 
dead  body  at  the  west  side  of  Prusa,  in  the  suburbs  of  the  citie,  where  he 
now  lieth,  in  a  chappell  without  any  roofe,  his  grave  nothing  differing 
from  the  manner  of  the  common  Turks  ;  which,  they  say,  he  commanded 
to  be  done,  in  his  last  will,  that  the  mercie  and  blessing  of  God  (as  he 
termed  it)  might  come  unto  him  by  the  shining  of  the  sunne  and  moone, 
and  falling  of  the  reine  and  dew  of  heaven  upon  his  grave."     Knolles^s 

Hist,  of  the  Turks,  p.  332.    Burder's  Oriental  Customs,  No.  507. ind 

all  men,  ^c.  In  going  down  to  the  grave,  he  does  but  share  the  common 
lot  of  mortals.  Innumerable  multitudes  have  gone  thither  before  him, 
and  the  succeeding  generations  of  men  shall  follow  him  to  the  same  place 
of  assembly  for  all  the  living.  Others  suppose  a  funeral  procession  to  be 
referred  to. 


XV. 


Here  begins  the  third  series  of  controversy.  Eliphaz,  unable  to  refute 
the  reasoning  in  Job's  last  discourse,  founded  as  it  was  on  undeniable  facts, 
proceeds  to  misrepresent  his  sentiments,  and  even  to  charge  liim  with  par- 
ticular crimes.  He  begins  with  an  attempt  to  expose  to  ridicule  Job's  com- 
plaints respecting  his  afflictions,  his  assertions  of  his  innocence,  and  his 
appeals  to  the  Deity,  as  if  he  had  set  up  arrogant  claims  upon  the  divine 


JOB.  237 

justice,  and  had  demanded  a  reward  for  his  goodness.  Ch.  xxii.  1-5. 
He  goes  on  to  assert  that  Job's  wickedness,  and  not  injustice  on  the  part 
of  the  Deitj,  was  the  cause  of  his  misery,  and  charges  him  with  a  variety 
of  enormous  crimes.  6-  11.  He  also  accuses  him  of  having  adopted  the 
corrupt  principles  of  those  impious  men,  who,  in  former  times,  h.id 
perished  by  a  flood,  and  warns  him  not  to  pursue  their  course,  and  thus 
incur  their  punishment.  12-20.  In  conclusion,  he  exhorts  him  to  re- 
pentance, and  gives  a  splendid  picture  of  the  prosperity  to  which  he  might 
look  as  a  reward.  21  -  30. 

Ch.  XXn.  2.  Behold,  the  wise  man  profiteth  himself.  Comp.  xxxv.  7. 
Prov.  ix.  12,  Whatever  wisdom  or  goodness  a  man  has,  he  has  the  benefit 
of  it,  not  God. 

4.  Will  he  contend,  S^c.  ?  i.  e.  in  a  judicial  controversy.  Is  he  afraid 
that  his  character  will  suffer  by  thy  complaints,  unless,  in  obedience  to  thy 
citation,  he  submit  to  a  trial,  and  argue  his  cause  before  some  tribunal  ? 

7.  Thou  hast  given,  ^x.  Among  the  Eastern  nations  hospitality  was, 
and  still  is,  regarded  as  a  duty  of  the  most  sacred  obligation. 

8.  But  the  man  of  power  had  the  land :  i.  e.  The  rich  were  always 
welcome  to  Job  ;  his  house  was  open  to  them,  and  his  land  before  them, 
while  the  poor  were  driven  away  from  his  house  and  territories.  Or  per- 
haps it  is  a  more  general  proverbial  expression,  denoting  the  partiality 
and  honor  with  which  Job  regarded  the  great  and  powerful.  Or  the 
meaning  may  be.  Through  your  connivance,  or  influence,  the  great  were 
sure  to  gain  their  cause,  when  they  set  up  a  claim  to  the  land  of  the  poor. 

9.  ^7id  broken  the  arms  :   i.  e.  thou  hast  taken  away  all  their  support. 

All  the  ancient  versions  render  JOT"   in  the  second  pers.   sing.,   which 
makes  it  probable  that  J<31i"1  was  formerly  in  the  text. 

10.  11.  —  snares.  This  was  a  common  metaphor  for  danger  and  des- 
tructive calamities  ;  as  darkness  and  floods  of  water  for  overwhelming 
misery. 

12-20.  What  Job  had  said,  in  the  preceding  chapter,  of  the  general 
impunity  and  prosperity  of  the  wicked,  was  matter  of  fact.  But  this 
calumniator  misrepresents  his  discourse,  as  a  denial  of  a  divine  providence 
grounded  on  most  absurd  notions  of  the  Supreme  Being,  as  though  he 
were  limited  in  his  presence,  and  could  not  see  what  passeth  in  our  world. 
—  The  immense  distance  of  heaven,  the  habitation  of  God,  is  represented 
by  its  being  far  above  the  stars.     Scott. 

13.  Can  he  govern  behind  the  thick  darkness  ?  Can  he  see,  through 
the  thick  clouds,  the  crimes  that  are  committed  on  earth,  and  thus  inflict 
the  punishment  which  they  merit  ? 


238  NOTES. 

14.  And  he  walketh  upon  the  arch  of  heaven  :  i.  e.  He  is  at  an  immense 
distance  from  the  earth,  and  wholly  occupied  in  the  concerns  of  the 
heavenly  world.     So  Lucretius,  Lib.  II.  646. 

15.  Wilt  thou  take  the  old  way,  ^c.  :  i.  e.  Are  you  willing  to  adopt 
the  principles  of  those  impious  men  who  lived  in  the  time  of  the  deluge  ? 

16.  — cut  down.     Lit.  seized,  hurried  away. 

17.  By  describing  the  impiety  of  these  men  in  the  very  terms  used  by 
Job  in  ch.  xxi.  14,  15,  he  confronts  their  exemplary  destruction  to  Job's 
assertion  of  the  impunity  and  felicity  of  such  characters.     Scott. 

18.  —  counsel:  i.  e.  purposes,  plans,  &c. 

24.  Cast  to  the  dust  thy  gold,  ^c. :  i.  e.  When  thou  shalt  regard  gold  as 
of  no  account,  and  cease  to  place  thy  dependance  upon  earthly  treasure, 
as  thou  hast  done,  and  shalt  place  thy  trust  upon  God  alone,  then,  &c. 

27.  And  thou  shalt  -perform  thy  vows :  i.  e.  Thou  shalt  obtain  those 
blessings  for  which  thou  didst  make  thy  vows,  and  accordingly  perform 
them. 

28.  And  light  shall  shine  upon  thy  ways :  i.  e.  Thou  shalt  have 
success  and  prosperity  in  all  thy  pursuits. 

29.  When  men  are  cast  down,  SfC.  The  meaning  probably  is,  When 
men  are  in  afSiction,  or  in  low  circumstances,  such  shall  be  the  efficacy  of 
thy  prayers,  that  God  will  raise  them  up. 

30.  — him  that  is  not  innocent.     The  particle  "'X,  rendered   island  in 

the  common  version,  is  used  as  a  negative  in  1  Sam.  iv.  21.  It  is  so 
rendered  here,  in  the  Chald.,  and  by  Le  Clerc,  Ros.,  Ges.,  and  De  Wette. 
The  same  sentiment  is  found  in  Gen.  xviii.  24  ;  Ezek.  xxii.  30  ;  Jer.  y.  1. 
Ros.  also  observes,  that  it  may  be  designed  to  refer  to  ch.  xlii.  8,  &c., 
where  it  appears  that  Jehovah  forgave  the  friends  of  Job  on  account  of 
his  intercession.     See  the  note  on  ch.  viii.  7. 


XVI. 


This  reply  of  Job  is  the  effusion  of  a  mind  agitated  by  various  strong 
emotions  ;  by  deep  grief,  ch.  xxiii.  2  ;  by  an  earnest  desire  to  argue  his 
cause  with  God,  since  he  could  obtain  neither  justice  nor  mercy  from  his 
friends,  3  -  7  ;  by  distress,  that  he  could  not  obtain  his  desire,  8,  9  ;  by 
consolation  in  the  testimony  of  his  conscience,  10-12  ;  and  by  consterna- 
tion and  despair,  arising  from  the  thought  of  God's  absolute  dominion, 
and  the  immutability  of  his  designs,  13-17.     Having  in  some  measure 


JOB.  239 

relieved  his  mind  by  the  foregoing  effusions,  he  makes  one  effort  more  to 
convince  his  adversaries  by  reasoning  with  them.  He  denies  the  constancy, 
and  even  the  frequency,  of  the  judgments  of  God  upon  wicked  men.  He 
produces  a  catalogue  of  enormous  crimes,  sucli  as  theft,  oppression  of  the 
poor,  murder,  adultery,  and  tyranny,  at  which,  as  he  thinks,  the  Gover- 
nor of  the  world  seems  to  connive,  by  forbearing  to  punish  the  authors  of 
them  ;  by  suffering  them  to  flourish  during  life,  and  to  be  fortunate  and 
happy  in  the  time  and  circumstances  of  their  death.     Ch.  xxiv. 

Ch.  XXIII.  2.  —  my  wound :  lit.  my  hand  :  i.  e.  the  hand  of  God  upon 
me. 

3.  O  that  I  k?iew,  SfC.  He  desires  to  go  before  the  tribunal  of  God,  as 
a  man,  whose  character  has  been  assailed,  may  demand  a  trial  at  an 
eartlily  bar. 

6  Would  he  contend,  SfC.  ?  i.  e.  He  would  not  overawe  me,  or  put  me 
down,  by  his  superior  power,  but  would  rather  listen  to  what  I  might  offer 
in  my  defence.  —  would  have  regard  :   Dty,  13^  being  understood.     See 

T  • 

iv.  20,  xxxiv.  23. 

7.  Then  would  an  uj)right  man,  SfC.  He  speaks  of  himself  in  the 
third  person. 

8,  9.  These  words  are  designed  to  express,  not  the  mere  invisibility  of 
the  Deity,  but  the  earnest  desire  of  Job,  conscious,  as  he  was,  of  his  in 
nocence,  to  obtain  some  visible  manifestation  of  the  Deity,  and  to  expostu 
late  with  him,  face  to  face,  upon  his  unmerited  sufferings.  Scoit.  The 
Hebrews,  like  some  other  of  the  Oriental  nations,  in  speaking  of  the 
different  quarters  of  the  heavens,  regarded  themselves  as  facing  the  East, 
the  rising  sun.  Backward  would  then  be  West  ;  the  left.  North  ;  and  the 
'.ight,  South.     See    Ges.   Thes.  ad   n'nK-      — whei-e  he  ivorkeih :    Some 

suppose  that  God  is  represented  as  working  in  the  places  northward  from 
Job ,  because  mankind  were  there  most  numerous,  and  most  attentive  in 
observing  the  works  of  God.  But  may  there  not  here  be  an  allusion  to 
an  opinion,  which  is  known  to  have  prevailed  amongst  the  ancient  eastern 
nations,  that  in  the  farthest  regions  of  the  north  was  a  high  mountain, 
C(jrresponding  to  the  Olympus  of  the  Greeks,  where  was  the  seat  or 
peculiar  residence  of  God,  or  the  Gods?  See  Is.  xiv.  13  ;  Ezek.  i.  4,  and 
the  notes,  and  the  dissertation  on  the  subject  of  the  Oriental  opinion  above 
referred  to,  appended  to  Gesenius's  Comment,  on  Isaiah,  vol.  IIL  p.  316. 

10.  But  he  knoweth,  ^c.  But  my  consolation  is,  that  God  seefh  my 
heart  and  my  conduct.  —  he  trieth  me  :  i.  e.  he  examineth  and  proveth 
my  character. 

12.     Above  my  own  law  :  i.  e.  above  what  my  own  des'res  dictated. 

14.     He  performeth,  Sfc. :  i.  e.  without  regard  to   my   expostulations, 


240  NOTES. 

pleadings,  and  protestations,  he  proceeds  to  inflict  upon  me  what  he  had 
purposed  to  inflict.  Comp.  ch.  x.  13,  14.  — such  things  :  i.  e.  proceedings 
of  God's  providence,  as  dark  and  unaccountable  as  his  dealings  toward 
me. 

17.  — darkness:  i.  e.  affliction,  misery. 

Ch.  XXIV.  1.  Why  are  nottimes,  ^-c.  —  days :  i.  e.  such  as  those  of  the 
deluge,  the  destruction  of  Sodom,  &c.  days  of  God  are  days  when  he 
manifests  himself  in  retribution  or  judgment  for  sin.  Why  are  not  the 
wicked  visited  with  signal  punishments,  which  the  righteous  may  recog- 
nise as  such  ?     for  the  meaning  given  to  nj^j  see  Is.  xiii.  22  ;  Jer.  xxvii. 

7  ;  Ezek.  xxx.  3  ;  Ecc.  ix.  11,  12. 

2.  — and  pasture  them.  They  are  so  shameless,  that  they  pasture,  in 
public  view,  the  flocks  which  they  have  stolen  from  the  helpless. 

4.  — from  (he  way.  The  proud  rich  men  push  the  poor  from  the  way, 
when  they  meet,  and  oblige  them  to  retreat,  as  it  were  to  hide  themselves. 

5.  — they  go  forth  to  their  work:  i.  e.  the  poor  and  needy,  of  the  pre- 
ceding verse,  who  go  forth  to  their  daily  toil  of  seeking  such  roots  and 
vegetables  as  the  woods  and  mountains  afford  for  their  miserable  subsis- 
tence.    So  Cocceius  and  Schultens,  who  refer  to  Ecclesiasticus  xiii.  19. 

6.  —  the  harvest :  lit.  his  harvest,  referring  to  oppressor^  in  the  next 
line. 

7.  Dr.  Shaw  tells  us  that  in  Arabia  Petrsea  the  day  is  intensely  hot, 
and  the  night  intensely  cold.     Travels ;  p.  438.  4to.     Scott. 

8.  ^nd  embrace  the  rock.  This  exactly  agrees  with  what  Niebuhr  says 
of  the  modern  wandering  Arabs,  near  Mount  Sinai,  Voyage  en  Arabic, 
torn.  I.  p.  187.  :  "  Those  who  cannot  afford  a  tent  spread  out  a  cloth 
upon  four  or  six  stakes  ;  and  others  spread  their  cloth  near  a  tree,  or 
endeavor  to  shelter  themselves  from  the  heat  and  the  rain  in  the  cavities 
of  the  rocks."     Burder. 

10,  11.     So  Addison,  in  his  Letter  from  Italy  : 

The  poor  inhabitant  beholds  in  vain 
The  reddening  orange  and  the  swelling  grain  ; 
Joyless  he  sees  the  growing  oils  and  wines, 
And  in  the  myrtle's  fragrant  shade  repines  ; 
Starves,  in  the  midst  of  nature's  bounty  curst, 
And  in  the  loaden  vineyard  dies  for  thirst. 

12.  And  God  rcgardcth  not  their  prayer  !  D'tl'\  for  3S  bj^  D'ti'"',  to  lay 
to  heart,  to  regard.     Py.  1.  23.     And,  by  altering  the  points,  nSiDH,  folly. 


JOB.  241 

becomes  n^3jl,  a  prayer ;   which  is    the  reading  of  two  manuscripts, 

and  of  the  Syriac  version.      So  Doed.  and  Dathe.      Others,   And   God 
regarded  noi  the  wickedness. 

13.  Others  hate  the  light,  ^c. :  lit.  These,  i.  e.  the  following,  are 
among  those  loho  hate,  ^-c.  So  Merc.  This  is  a  description  of  criminals 
who  practise  their  deeds  of  violence  and  injustice  under  the  protection  of 
darkness. 

14.  With  the  light,  ^c.  :  i.  e.  Very  early,  by  day-break.  Micah  ii.  1 , 
"  Wo  to  them  that  devise  iniquity,  and  work  evil  upon  their  beds  !  in  the 
light  of  the  morning  they  practise  it." 

15.  And  putleth  a  mask  upon  his  face.     So  Juv.  Sat.  viii.  144.  : 

si  nocturnus  adulter 


Tempera  Santonico  velas  adoperta  cucullo. 

16.  In   the   daytime   they  shut   themselves  up.     See  Ges.  upon  Qnn. 

—  T 

ioipuYiouv  savTovg.      Sept. 

17.  The  morning,  which  discovers  their  evil  deeds,  is  as  terrible  and 
hateful  to  these  criminals  as  the  shadow  of  death,  or  the  grossest  darkness, 
is  to  other  people.  —  They  are  familiar  with  :  i.  e.  They  like  and  desire 
the  terrors  of  midnight  darkness  :  i.  e.  midnight  darkness  which  is  terrible 
to  others.     So  Merc,  Poole  and  Ros. 

18.  Light  are  they,  Sfc.  :  This  line  expresses  the  speed  with  which  he 
is  hurried  away  as  a  retribution  for  his  crimes,  like  a  light  substance,  or 
a  stream  ;  or  the  speed  with  which  the  person  escapes  after  the  commission 
of  a  crime.  —  accursed  portion,  ^c. :  i.  e.  They  dwell  in  desert  and  un- 
cultivated places.  —  the  vineyards  :  i.  e.  the  abodes  of  civilized  men, 
lest  they  be  apprehended.  The  explanation  of  this  and  the  following 
difficult  verses  is  that  adopted  by  Mercier,  Patrick,  and  Ros. 

20.  And  iniquity,  Sfc.  i.  e.  The  unrighteous  man  is  destroyed  as 
completely  as  a  tree,  which,  once  broken  or  cut  down,  cannot  grow  again. 

21.  He  oppresseth  the  barren,  ^c.  He  adds  affliction  to  one  who  has  no 
children  to  help  her,  and  who  is  already  afflicted  with  that  which  in  those 
days  was  regarded  as  a  curse  and  reproach. 

22.  He  taketh  away  :  i.  e.  destroyeth.  See  Ps.  xxviii.  3  ;  Ezek.  xxxii. 
20.  He  riseth  up  :  i.  e.  against  the  mighty,  and  every  one  of  them  fears 
for  his  life.     Ros. 

23.  God  giveth:  lit.  He  giveth.  See  note  on  ch.  iii.  20.  — And  his  eyes 
arc  upon  their  ways  :  i.  e.  God  seems  to  smile  upon  them  and  prosper 
them  in  all  their*enterprises. 

24.  Theij  are  exalted,  ^c.     The  complaint  is,  1.  that  the  wicked  are 

11 


242  NOTES. 

advanced  to  great  preeminence  ;  2.  that  they  are  favored  with  a  death 
quick  and  easy,  which  is  preceded  by  no  reverse  of  their  prosperity,  is 
brought  on  by  no  disease,  and  is  embittered  by  no  sharp  and  lingering 
pains.  This  indulgent  circumstance  is  happily  illustrated  by  the  beautiful 
simile  which  closes  the  period.     Scott. 


XVII. 


The  short  reply  of  Bildad,  in  the  twenty-fifth  chapter,  asserts,  in  a 
lofty  strain,  the  awful  majesty,  supreme  dominion,  and  infinite  perfection 
of  the  Deity.  Hence  he  infers  the  excessive  arrogance  of  justifying  one's 
self  befoi'e  God,  and  impeaching  the  rectitude  of  his  government.  His 
remarks  are  directed  against  the  conduct  of  Job  in  calling  upon  God  for  a 
trial,  and  in  using  arguments  which  seemed  to  call  in  question  God's 
justice.  He  does  not  attempt  to  answer  the  assertions  of  Job,  in  the  last 
chapter,  respecting  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked.  These  were  founded  on 
facts  which  could  not  be  denied,  and  which  could  not  be  explained  on  the 
principles  of  Job's  opponents.  It  is,  therefore,  probable  that  the  poet 
assigned  this  last  feeble  eifort  to  Bildad,  merely  in  order  to  give  occasion 
to  the  triumph  of  Job  in  the  chapter  following. 

Ch.  XXV.  2.  He  maintaineth  peace  in  his  high  places :  i.  e.  He  ruleth 
all  the  inhabitants  of  heaven  in  peace  and  harmony.     Ch.  xxi.  22. 

8.  —  his  hosts  ?  i.  e.  the  stars,  as  is  probable  from  the  parallel  line  ;  or 
his  angels.  See  Dan.  iv.  o5.  —  And  npon  whom  doth  nut  his  light  arise  ? 
Some  suppose  that  this  line  is  intended  to  set  forth  the  glory  of  God  in 
general,  as  manifested  in  the  universal  diffusion  of  light  ;  as,  in  ch. 
xxxvi.  30,  he  is  said  to  spread  around  himself  his  light,  and,  elsewhere, 
to  cover  himself  with  light,  as  with  a  garment,  and  to  dwell  in  the  light 
ivhich  no  man  can  approach  unto.  Others,  that  it  expresses  the  omnis- 
cience of  God  ;  that  it  represents  his  light  as  penetrating  everything,  and 
making  everything  known.     Others,  that  his  light  here  denotes  his  sun. 

5.  Behold,  even  the  moon,  ^c.  So  the  Vulg,,  Ecce,  luna  etiam  nan 
splendet.     Comp.  Is.  xxi  v.  23. 


JOB.  243 


XVIII. 


Job  begins  his  reply  with  sarcasms  upon  his  last  opponent,  ashavirg 
offered  nothing  relevant  to  the  subject  in  dispute.  He  then  endeavors  to 
show  that,  if  the  question  related  to  the  power  and  perfectio*ns  of  the 
Deity,  he  could  speak  in  as  lofty  a  style  as  his  opponents  of  the  effects  of 
the  divine  power  in  heaven,  earth,  and  the  regions  under  the  earth.  His 
pui'pose  is  to  show  that  his  confident  assertions  of  his  innocence  are  by  no 
means  inconsistent  with  the  most  exalted  views  of  the  wisdom  and  power 
of  the  Governor  of  the  world  ;  that  he  adores  the  perfections  of  God,  and 
yet  denies  that  his  misery  is  a  proof  of  his  guilt. 

Ch.  XXVI.  2.  — the  weak.  There  has  been  a  doubt  to  whom  this 
ironical  expression  is  to  be  applied  ;  whether  to  Job,  to  the  other  two 
opponents  of  Job,  or  to  the  Deity.  From  the  connection,  verse  4,  and 
from  the  design  and  tenor  of  the  whole  chapter,  it  seems  most  probable 
that  Job  refers  to  himself. 

4.  For  whom,  Sfc. :  1.  e.  Do  you  think  me  ignorant  of  the  perfections 
of  God,  that  you  address  me  on  the  subject  with  such  a  magisterial  air  ? 
or  By  whom,  i.  e.  by  whose  aid,  &c.  — And  whose  spirit  spake  through 
thee  ?  i.  e.  To  what  extraordinary  inspiration  canst  thou  pretend  ? 

5.  —  the  shades  :  i.  e  ghosts,  departed  spirits,  the  inhabitants  of  Hades, 
or  the  under-world,  whom  the  ancient  Hebrews  conceived  of  as  without 
strength  and  with  little  sensation,  mere  shadows  of  what  they  once  were  , 
si'Sv)kcc  yMiiorirtr.  See  Ps.  Ixxxviii.  10  ;  Prov.  ii.  18,  ix.  18,  xxi.  16  ;  Is 
xiv.  9,  10,  xxvi.  14,  19.  — tremble:  i.  e.  at  the  majesty  and  power  of 
God.  The  verb  Sin  is  often  used  in  this  sense,  and  \^  so  rendered  in  the 
common  version,  in  Hab.  iii.  10.  —  the  waters,  £fc.  :  i.  e.  the  seas  and  all 
the  monsters  that  inhabit  their  lowest  depths. 

6.  The  under-ivorld  —  Destruction.  These  are  different  words,  ex- 
pressing the  same  thing,  viz.  the  abode  of  departed  spirits,  which  was 
supposed  to  be  a  vast  cavern,  far  in  the  interior  of  the  earth.  See  the 
passages  referred  to  in  the  preceding  note .  and  John's  Archaeology,  §§  203 
and  '207.  With  this  description  of  the  Hebrew  poet,  compart  the  passage 
on  the  same  topic,  quoted  by  Longinur  from  Homer,  a-  ot«j  of  unrivalled 
sublimity.     Iliad,  xx.  61. 

7.  He  streicheih  out  the  jYor^n  •  '..  c.  the  northern  hemi-sphere,  or  the 


244  NOTES. 

whole  visible  heaven,  like  a  canopy  or  tent.     Is.  xl.  22.     —  upon  nothing: 
i.  e.  without  anything  to  support  it. 

And  earth  self-balanced  from  her  centre  hung. 

8.  He  bindeth,  SfC. :  i.  e.  He  collecteth  the  waters  into  the  clouds,  as 
it  were,  in  bottles  or  vessels,  which  do  not  let  them  fall  until  he  is  pleased 
to  send  them,  drop  by  drop,  upon  the  earth. 

9.  —  the  face  of  his  throne :  i.  e.  the  clear  sky,  which  is  sometimes 
covered  with  clouds.     Is.  Ixvi.  1,  "  The  heaven  is  my  throne." 

10.  He  hath  drawn  a  circular  bound,  ^c.  The  ancients  seem  to  have 
believed  that  only  the  northern  hemisphere  enjoyed  the  light  of  the  sun, 
and  that*all  below  the  horizon  was  in  perpetual  darkness.  They  also 
Bupposed  that  the  earth  was  surrounded  by  water,  upon  which  the  concave 
of  heaven  seemed  to  rest,  and  hence  the  idea  of  a  circular  bound,  drawn, 
as  it  were,  by  compasses  at  the  extreme  verge  of  the  celestial  hemisphere, 
where  the  light  was  supposed  to  end,  and  the  darkness  to  begin.  See 
Virg.  Georg.  I.  247. 

11.  The  pillars  of  heaven  tremble.  Some  suppose  that  the  mountains 
of  the  earth,  upon  which  the  sky  seems  to  rest,  are  intended  ;  but  it  is 
more  probable  that  the  vault  of  heaven  is  represented  as  an  immense 
edifice,  supported  on  lofty  columns,  like  a  temple.  — his  rebuke:  i.e. 
thunder,  lightning,  and  tempestuous  winds,  which  were  supposed  to  be 
tokens  of  God's  displeasure. 

12.  —  he  smite th  its  pride  :  i.  e.  he  restrains  its  rage,  and  turns  a 
storm  into  a  calm.     So  Is,  li.  15. 

13.  — the  fleeing  Serpent:  i.e.  the  fugacious,  fugitive,  serpent ;  an 
epithet  borrowed  from  the  living  serpent,  but  referring  to  the  constellation 
of  the  great  Serpent  or  Dragon  in  the  Northern  hemisphere.  The  reader 
will  remark  the  coincidence  of  this  epithet  with  the  word  elabitur  in 
Virgil,  Georg.   I.  2-14. 

14.  Lo  !  these  are  but  the  borders  of  his  works  :  i.  e.  We  are  acquaint- 
ed only  with  the  surface  and  outlines  of  the  works  of  God.  —  How  faint 
the  whisper,  ^-c.  :  i.  e.  How  very  little  do  we  know  concerning  the  divine 
operations  !  —  But  the  thunder  of  his  power.  By  this  expression  I  under- 
stand the  higher  exertions  of  his  power,  as  opposed  to  its  ordinary  opera- 
tions, with  which  we  are  in  some  measure  acquainted.  The  meaning  thus 
will  be,  that  what  is  known  of  God's  works  is  to  that  which  is  unknown 
as  a  whisper  to  a  peal  of  thunder.  Others  suppose  that  the  thunder  of 
his  power  means  the  loudest  and  most  terrible  thunder.  But  it  is  not 
probable  that  he  referred  to  literal  thunder,  as  a  special  mystery  among 
the  works  of  God. 


JOB.-  245 


XIX. 


The  three  friends  of  Job  now  give  up  the  discussion.  Bildad,  his  last 
opponent,  had  said  but  a  few  words,  and  those  in  the  manner  of  a  retreat- 
ing adversary.  He  had  also  been  triumphantly  diiven,  as  it  were,  from  his 
ground  by  Job.  Zophar,  therefore,  is  represented  as  thinking  it  prudent 
to  make  no  reply.  From  this  discomfiture  of  his  opponents,  Job,  taking 
courage,  goes  on  to  express  his  feelings  and  views,  in  a  more  calm,  but 
not  less  decided  manner  than  before.  He  begins  with  a  renewed  and 
solemn  declaration  of  his  innocence,  and  expresses  the  most  resolute 
determination  to  assert  it  against  all  who  may  call  it  in  question,  to  the 
very  last  moment  of  his  life.  Ch.  xxvii.  2-7.  On  account  of  what  he 
had  said  of  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked,  his  opponents  had  accused  him 
of  approving  them,  and  of  envying  their  condition.  He  therefore  ex- 
presses his  abhorrence  of  a  vicious  character,  and  speaks  of  the  satisfac- 
tions arising  from  virtue  and  piety,  to  which  the  wicked  man  is  a  stranger. 
8-10.  He  had  all  along  maintained,  in  opposition  to  his  friends,  that 
this  world  is  not  the  scene  of  a  regular  distribution  of  good  and  evil;  that 
^virtue  is  often  oppressed,  and  vice  triumphant  ;  and  that  the  greater  part  of 
wicked  men  go  unpunished,  grow  old  in  ease  and  affluence,  and  at  length 
die  in  peace.  But  now,  having  reduced  his  opponents  to  silence,  he 
frankly  owns  that  there  are  some  examples  of  divine  vengeance,  such  as 
they  had  asserted  ;  that  the  evils  which  sometimes,  though  not  always,  as 
they  contended,  are  the  consequences  of  guilt,  are  sufficient  to  deter  him 
from  envying  the  condition  of  the  wicked,  and  from  following  their  evil 
courses.  11-23.,  The  inconsistency  of  Job  is  only  apparent,  proper 
allowance  being  made  for  strong  expressions  elicited  by  the  heat  of  con- 
troversy. He  concedes  not  his  main  position,  viz.,  that  the  innocent  often 
suffer.  He  holds  fast  his  innocence,  and  will  not  let  it  go.  He  admits  not 
the  main  conclusion  of  his  opponents,  viz.,  that  human  suffering  always 
implies  guilt,  or  that  he  is  wicked  because  he  is  a  sufferer.  His  present 
deliberate  position  is,  that,  as  the  virtuous  do  suffer,  there  is  some 
mysterious  cause  of  human  suffering  besides  the  vices  of  men,  while  he 
admits  the  correctness  of  the  representations  of  his  opponents  respecting 
the  ordinary  consequences  of  sin.  Thus  the  dispute  is  brought  to  a  crisis. 
Without  this  concession,  compromise,  or  apparent  inconsistency  in  the 
language  of  Job,  there  could  have  been  no  end  to  discourses  on  the  miseries 
of  sin,  on  the  one  hand,  and   the  prosperity  of  the  wicked,  on  the  other. 


246  NOTES. 

The  difficulty,  tlierefore,  which  has  puzzled  so  many  critics,  and  led  Dr. 
Kennicott  to  propose  an  important  alteration  in  the  text,  proves  to  be  a 
necessary  part  of  the  plan  of  the  profound  and  ingenious  author  of  the 
book. 

The  subject  of  the  next  chapter  is  wisdom  :  i.  e.  that  high,  absolute 
Divine  wisdom,  which  formed  the  plan,  and  directs  all  the  concerns, of 
the  Universe.  Job  had  allowed,  in  the  former  chapter,  that  God  makes 
examples  of  some  wicked  men.  He  had  maintained,  in  ch.  xxi.,  tiiat 
others  equally  guilty  escape  with  impunity.  He  had  also  asserted,  in  ch. 
ix.  22,  that  general  calamities  involve  the  best  and  the  worst  men  in  one 
common  destruction.  These  are  perplexing  appearances.  Hence  his 
thoughts  are  naturally  led  up  to  those  impenetrable  counsels  which  direct 
all  this  seeming  confusion.  The  powers  of  the  human  mind  have  made 
surprising  discoveries  in  natural  things.  Man  has  penetrated  the  bowels 
of  the  earth,  and  surmounted  the  greatest  obstacles  for  the  purpose  of 
obtaining  the  treasures  hidden  in  those  regions  of  darkness.  But  all  the 
riches  of  the  world  cannot  purchase,  nor  the  highest  genius  and  industry 
of  man  attain,  the  knowledge  of  the  whole  plan  of  Providence  in  the 
administration  of  the  world,  or  the  reasons  for  which  he  sometimes  sends 
calamities  upon  individuals.  Only  He  can  comprehend  the  whole  to 
whom  are  known  all  his  works  from  the  beginning.  The  inference  is,  that 
instead  of  prying  into  mysteries  which  he  cannot  understand,  the  duty  of 
man  is  to  adore  his  Maker,  and  obey  his  commandments.  This  is  the 
"wisdom  proper  to  man. 

Oh.  XXVII.  2.  —  who  hath  rejected  my  cause  :  i.  e.  who  hath  refused 
me  justice. 

4.  —  deceit :  i.  e.  the  deceit  of  confessing  guilt,  of  which  he  is  not 
conscious. 

6.  /  will  hold  fast,  SfC.  I  will  continue  to  assert  it,  or  I  will  not 
acknowledge  that  I  am  guilty.  I  will  be  as  tenacious  of  it  as  a  good 
soldier  is  of  his  shield.  The  original  term  for  hold  fast  is  the  same  as 
that  used  in  Ps.  xxxv.  2,  in  connection  Avith  a  shield.  — My  heart,  ^c. 
ov  yuo  aivoi^a  i^ainco  uTona  ;inazag.  Sept.  JYeque  enim  reprehendit  me 
cor  meum  in  oitini  vitd  med.     Vulg. 

8.  — cutteth  off  his  web.  See.  This  metaphor  seems  to  be  drawn  from 
the  weaver,  who,  when  his  web  is  linished,  cuts  it  off  fi'om  the  thrum  by 
which  it  was  fastened  to  the  beam.  See  vi.  9  ;  and  Is.  xxxviii.  12. 
Otherwise,  when  he  hath  gotten  plunder.  —  taketh  away  his  life.  lit. 
draweth  out  his  life  :  i.  e.  as  a  sword  from  its  sheath.  Schnurrer  con- 
jectures that  Sli^"*   is  contracted  for  bxiy"',  in  which  case  the  meaning  will 

be,  demandeth  his  life. 


JOB.  24:7 

12.  —  vain  thoughts  :  i.  e.  such  as  they  had  expressed,  when  they  main- 
tained that  suffering  was  a  sure  proof  of  guilt,  or  that  Job  was  suffering 
the  punishment  of  a  grossly  wicked  man,  such  as  he  goes  on  to  describe. 
See  the  introductory  remarks  to  this  chapter. 

13.  The  passage  from  this  verse  to  the  end  of  the  chapter  presents  a 
difficulty  ;  since,  at  first  view.  Job  seems  to  renounce  his  former  senti- 
ments, and  to  adopt  those  of  his  opponents.  One  method  of  explaining 
it,  satisfactory  to  me,  is  given  in  the  introduction  to  this  chapter. 

14.  —  it  is  for  the  sicord :  i.  e.  they  shall  be  slain  in  war. 

15.  —  shall  he  buried  by  Death:  i.  e.  they  shall  have  no  grave-digger 
but  Death;  or,  they  shall  be  unburied.  See  Jer.  xvi.  4.  Others  render  it, 
shall  be  brov'iht  to  the  grave  by  the  pestilence,  ^uvaroq  sometimes  has 
this  meaning  in  the  Apocalypse. 

16.  And  -procure  raiment  as  clay.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  ancients 
to  lay  up  raiment  in  their  treasuries  as  well  as  gold  and  silver.  So  Virgil 
of  Messapus,  -^n.  ix.  26.  : 

Dives  equOm ,  dives  pictai'  vestis  et  auri. 

It  is  customary  through  all  the  East,  says  Sir  J.  Chardin,  to  gather  to- 
gether immense  quantities  of  furniture  and  clothes  ;  for  their  fashions 
never  alter. 

18.  —  like  the  moth.  The  house  and  family  of  the  oppressor  shall  not 
be  more  durable  than  the  slight  fabric  which  the  moth  makes  in  a  garment, 
and  which  is  destroyed  when  the  garment  is  moved  or  shaken.  See  Dr. 
Harris's  Nat.  Hist,  of  the  Bible,  p.  297.  —  Or  like  the  shed,  SfC.  :  which 
was  made  for  the  watchman  of  a  garden,  whose  business  it  was  to  defend 
the  fruit  from  birds  and  beasts  while  it  was  ripening,  and  which  was 
taken  down  when  the  fruit  was  gathered.  See  Is.  i.  8.  Niebuhr,  in  his 
Desci'iption  of  Arabia,  p.  139,  says,  *'  In  the  mountains  of  Yemen  they 
have  a  sort  of  nest  in  the  trees,  where  the  Arabs  sit  to  watch  their  fields 
after  they  have  been  planted.  But  in  the  Kehama,  where  there  are  but 
few  trees,  they  build  a  light  kind  of  scaffolding  for  this  purpose."  Mr. 
South ey  opens  the  fifth  part  of  his  Curse  of  Kehama  with  a  similar 
allusion,  quoted  by  Dr.  Good  : 

Evening  comes  on  :  arising  from  the  stream. 
Homeward  the  tall  flamingo  wings  his  flight  ; 
And  where  he  sails  athwart  the  setting  beam. 
His  scarlet  plumage  glows  with  deeper  light. 
The  watchman,  at  the  wished  approach  of  night. 
Gladly  forsakes  the  field,  where  he,  all  day, 
To  scare  the  winged  plunderers  from  their  prey. 
With  shout  anil  sling,  on  yonder  clay-built  height, 
Hath  borne  the  sultry  ray. 


248  NOTES. 

19.  The  rich  man  lieth  down:  i.  o.  dies.  — and  is  not  buried:  lit.  not 
gathered :  i.  e.  as  the  slain  are  gathered  in  battle  for  burial.  —  In  the  twink- 
ling of  an  eye  he  is  no  more :  lit.  He  openeth  his  eyes,  and  is  no  more.  So  Merc, 
Ges.,  and  Ros. 


Ch.  XXVIII.  2.  And  stone  is  melted  into  copper.  So  Pliny,  Nat.  Hist, 
xxxiv.  1,  22,  and  xxxvi.  27,  66  :  Ms  fit  ex  lapide  seroso,  quem  vocant  Cad- 
miam ;  et  igne  lapides  in  ses  solvuntur. 

3.  Man  piitteth  an  end  to  darkness :  i.  e.  The  darkest  recesses  of  the 
earth  are  made  light  by  torches,  carried  thither  by  man.  —  For  the 
stone  of  darkness.  Schultens  supposes  the  centre  of  the  earth  to  be 
denoted  by  this  expression.  Others,  the  metallic  ore  in  the  darkest  parts 
of  the  earth. 

4.  From  the  jylace  where  they  dwell :  "ij  D^^D-  Following  Schultens, 
who  assigns  to  "ij  a  meaning  from  the  Arabic,  I  formerly  rendered  these 
words,  From  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  The  present  rendering  is  according 
to  the  common  meaning  of  the  Hebrew  terms.  Gesenius  supposes  the  ex- 
pression  to    be   elliptical   for    Qiy  "ij  "'v?'^.  ^VQ.f  ^i^-  Fi'O^^   there  where  one 

dwells:  i.  e  From  the  surface  of  the  earth,  the  abode  of  man.  This  cor- 
responds with  the  last  line  of  the  verse,  they  swing  away  from  men.  — a 
shaft:  i. '!.  a  passage  leading  into  a  mine.  — Forgotten  by  the  feet:  i.e. 
unsupported  by  the  feet.  They  do  not  descend  by  their  feet,  but  arc  let 
down  b  v'  ropes  or  baskets. 

5.  -torn  up,  ^c:  i.  e.  Effects  are  produced  by  man,  in  excavating  the 
earth,  similar  to  those  produced  by  subterranean  fires.  So  Pliny :  Perse- 
quinur  omnes  ejus  (terrae)  fibras,  vivimusque  super  excavatam.  .  . .  Imus  in 
vis'era  ejus,  et  in  sede  Manium  opes  quffirimus,  tanquam  parum  benign  a 
fert,ili(iue,  quaqua  calcatur  [perhaps,  secatur].     Hist  Nat.  xxxiii.  1. 

7.  The  path  thereto :  i.  e.  to  the  place  of  sapphires,  gold  ore,  &c.  Verses 
7  and  8  are  probably  designed  to  illustrate  the  intrepidity  of  man  in  pene- 
trating these  dangerous  regions  of  darkness.  The  most  far-sighted  birds 
could  not  see  them,  or  find  their  way  to  them.  The  most  daring  beasts  of 
prey  would  not  venture  into  them.  Vulttire :  I  think  it  better  to  rely  on  the 
Sept.  and  other  ancient  versions  as  to  this  meaning,  than  on  uncertain 
etymological  conjecture. 

9.  Man  layeth  his  hand,  <^'c.  This  and  the  following  verses  describe  the 
immense  labor  and  difficulty  of  working  a  mine.  Man  overcomes  every 
obstacle  which  nature  has  placed  in  his  way, 

10.  He  cleaveth  out  streams,  ^c.  This  was  done  either  for  the  purpose  of 
drawing  off  the  water  which  impeded  their  operations,  or  of  washing  the 
impure  ore. 


JOB.  249 

11.  — bindeih  up  the  streams,  8fc. :  i.  e.  the  water  which  trickles  down 
the  shaft  of  the  mine. 

12.  But  where  shall  wisdom  be  found  7  Having  given  an  imposing 
view  of  the  powers  of  man  in  regard  to  natural  things,  he  proceeds  to 
give  as  emphatic  a  representation  of  his  inability  to  fathom  the  counsels  of 
God,  or  to  understand  the  reasons  which  direct  him  in  the  government  of 
the  world,  particularly  in  the  distribution  of  happiness  and  misery. 

13.  Man  knoweth  not  the  price  thereof:  i.  e.  He  hath  no  means  or 
ability  to  obtain  it. 

21.  And  kept  close  from  the  fowls  of  the  air  :  i.  e.  The  residence  of 
wisdom  is  beyond  the  flight  of  the  swiftest  and  strongest  birds.  This  is 
saying,  in .  a  poetical  and  perhaps  a  proverbial  manner,  that  this  wisdom 
is  not  to  be  found  within  the  limits  of  our  world.     Scott. 

22.  Destruction  and  Death :  i.  e.  the  under-world.  Hades.  —  We 
have  heard  a  rumor,  SfC.  :  i.  e.  It  is  at  such  an  immense  distance  from  us, 
that  we  have  only  heard  a  rumor  respecting  it. 

23.  God  knoweth  the  way  to  it :  i.  e.  God  only  knoweth  the  reasons  of 
his  dispensations  to  men. 

27.  —  and  make  it  known :  i.  e.  to  his  angels.  Or,  He  made  his 
wisdom  visible  in  his  works. 

28.  —  that  is  wisdom  :  i.  e.  The  wisdom  of  man  does  not  consist  in 
the  knowledge  of  the  reasons  of  the  divine  government,  but  in  piety  and 
holiness. 


XX. 


Job  now  returns  to  his  own  case,  as  a  striking  illustration  of  the  mys- 
terious ways  of  Providence,  of  which  he  had  spoken  in  the  last  chapter. 
His  aim  is  to  show  that  all  his  pleadings  and  complaints  were  well  founded. 
He  beautifully  descants  upon  his  former  prosperity,  ch.  xxix.,  and 
exhibits  the  striking  contrast  between  it  and  his  present  affliction  and  de- 
basement, ch.  XXX.  Lastly,  in  answer  to  the  unfounded  insinuations  and 
false  charges  of  his  friends,  he  relates  the  principal  transactions  of  his 
past  life,  asserts  his  integrity,  as  displayed  in  the  discharge  of  all  his 
duties  relating  to  God  and  man,  ard  again  appeals  to  the  omniscience  and 
justice  of  God  in  attestation  of  his  sincerity.     Ch.  xxxi.     Lowth. 

11* 


250  NOTES. 


Ch.  XXIX.  3.  When  his  lamp  shone  over  my  head.  The  houses  of 
Egyi^t,  according  to  Maiilet,  are  never  without  lights  in  the  night-time.  If 
such  were  the  ancient  custom,  not  <  u\y  of  Egypt,  but  of  the  neighboring 
countries  of  Judea  and  Arabia,  it  will  strongly  illustrate  this  passage. 
Mr.  Scott,  however,  thinks  that  there  is  probably  an  allusion  to  the  lamps 
which  hung  fi"om  the  ceiling  in  the  banqueting  rooms  of  the  wealthy 
Arabs  —  walked  throvgh  darkness.  Here  is  reference  probably  to  the  fires, 
or  other  lights,  which  were  carried  before  the  caravans  in  their  night- travels 
through  the  deserts.  The  extraordinary  favor  of  God  and  his  protecting 
care  are  denoted  by  the  metaphors  in  both  parts  of  this  verse. 

4.  The  autumn  of  mi)  days,  i.  e.  the  ripeness,  the  maturity  of  my 
age.  Comp.  the  Greek  onwoa.  Or  autumn  may  refer  to  the  time  of  his 
greatest  outward  prosperity  ;  of  the  ripest  fniits  of  life. 

6.  When  I  bathed,  ^-c.  :  i.  e.  When  streams  of  milk  met  me,  as  it  were, 
wherever  I  went.  Olive  groves  and  abundance  of  cattle  made  the  prin- 
cipal wealth  of  the  Arabs.  The  best  olives  grew  upon  the  rocky 
mountains.  Hence  the  bold  figures  by  which  the  Arabs  express  a  condi- 
tion of  uncommon  felicity.     See  Deut.  xxxii.  13,  14.     Scott. 

7.  —  to  the  gale  :  i.  e.  the  forum,  or  place  where  the  courts  were  held. 
Ind  took  my  seat,  ^-c.  "Job  here  speaks  of  himself  as  a  civil  magis- 
trate, who  had  a  seat  erected  for  him  to  sit  upon  whilst  he  was  hearing 
and  trying  causes  ;  and  this  was  set  up  in  the  street,  in  the  open  air, 
before  the  gate  of  the  city,  where  great  numbers  might  be  convened ,  and 
hear  and  see  justice  done.  The  Arabs,  to  this  day,  hold  their  courts  of 
justice  in  an  open  place  under  the  heavens,  as  in  a  field,  or  a  market- 
place."    Burder's  Oriental  Customs,  No.  515. 

8.  The  young  men,  ^-c.  Savary,  in  his  Letters  on  Egypt,  Vol.  I.  p. 
149,  says,  "  The  children  are  educated  in  the  woman's  apartment,  and  do 
not  come  into  the  hall,  especially  when  strangers  are  there.  Young 
people  are  silent  when  in  this  hall  ;  if  men-grown,  they  are  allowed  to 
join  the  conversation  ;  but  when  the  Sheik  begins  to  speak,  they  cease, 
and  attentively  listen.  If  he  enters  an  assembly,  all  rise  ;  they  give  him 
way  in  public,  and  everywhere  show  him  esteem  and  respect."  — And 
the  aged  arose  and  stood.  This  is  a  most  elegant  description,  and  exhibits 
most  correctly  the  great  reverence  and  respect  which  was  paid,  even  by 
the  old  and  decrepit,  to  the  holy  man  in  passing  along  the  streets,  or  when 
he  sat  in  public.  They  not  only  rose,  which  in  men  so  old  and  infirm  was 
a  great  mark  of  distinction,  but  they  stood  ;  they  continued  to  do  it, 
though  the  attempt  was  so  difficult.     Louth. 

14.  /  clothed  myself,  Sfc.  i.  e.  I  was  clothed  with  righteousness,  as 
with  a  garment  without,  and  it  wholly  filled  me  within.     I  was  altogether 


JOB.  251 

righteoujs  within  and  without.  This  moaning  is  made  probable  by  the 
paronomasia  of  the  Hebrew,  and  also  by  such  expressions  as  Judges  vi. 
34.  "The  spirit  of  Jehovah  put  on  Gideon."  By  altering  the  vowel 
points  so  as  to  change  the  conjugation  from  kal  to  hiphil,one  might  sustain 
the  rendering  of  the  common  version.  —  robe  and  diadem.  A  proverb 
still  in  use  among  the  Arabs  is,  "  Knowledge  is  a  diadem  to  a  young 
person,  and  a  chain  of  gold  about  his  neck."  Scott,  referring  to 
Schultens. 

18.  — I  shall  die  in  my  nest.  Schultens  remarks  that  the  image  is 
taken  from  the  eagle,  who  builds  his  nest  on  the  summit  of  a  rock. 
Security  is  the  point  of  resemblance  intended.  See  ch.  xxxix.  27,  28  ; 
Numb.  xxiv.  21  ;  Obad.  ver.  4. 

19.  My  root  is  spread,  Sfc.  A  tree  planted  by  the  rivers  of  waters, 
and  bringing  forth  its  fruit  in  its  season,  is  a  beautiful  emblem  of  pros- 
perity. See  Ps.  i.  3.  The  dews,  which  fall  very  plentifully  in  the  night, 
contribute  greatly  to  the  nourishment  of  vegetables  in  those  hot  climates 
where  they  have  scarcely  any  rain  during  the  summer.     Scott. 

20.  My  glory  is  fresh.  A  flourishing  evergreen  was  the  image  in  the 
preceding  verse,  and  is  carried  on  in  this.  — And  my  bow  gathers  strength 
in  my  hand.  By  the  state  of  the  weapons  commonly  used,  the  Orientals 
express  the  condition,  as  to  strength  or  weakness,  prosperity  or  adversity, 
of  the  person  who  uses  them.  See  Gen.  xlix.  23,  24.  The  figure  is  very 
common  in  Arabic  poetry,  as  may  be  seen  in  Schultens'  note  upon  this 
verse. 

22.  When  my  speech  dropped  down  upon  them,.  So  Deut.  xxxii.  2, 
•'  My  doctrine  shall  drop  as  the  rain."  So  Homer  speaks  of  Nestor's 
eloquence,  Iliad,  I.  249.  : 

Tov  y.al  uuo  yXJjOOtjg  utXiTog  yXvxiwv  ^(ev  avStj' 
Words,  sweet  as  honey,  from  his  lips  distilled.     Pope. 
So  also  Milton,  Par.  Lost,  II.  112.  : 

though  his  tongue 


Dropt  manna,  &c. 

23.  They  waited,  SfC. :  i.  e.  They  waited  for  my  opinion  with  the  same 
eager  desire  with  which  the  husbandman  doth  the  showers  after  he  hath 
sown  his  seed  ;  they  gaped  for  it,  as  the  thirsty  earth  doth  for  the  latter 
rain  to  plump  the  corn.  Patrick.  Among  the  Egyptians,  the  heavens 
pouring  down  rain  or  dew  was  the  hieroglyphic  of  learning  and  instruc- 
tion.    Burder. 

24.  If  I  smiled  upon  them,  they  believed  it  not.     The  reverence  in 


252  NOTES. 

which  I  was  held  was  so  great,  that,  if  I  laid  aside  my  gravity  and  was 
familiar  with  them,  they  could  scarcely  believe  that  they  were  so  highly 
honored  ;  my  very  smiles  were  received  with  awe.  —  JVor  did  they  cause 
the  light  of  my  countenance  to  fall.  In  the  Scriptures  to  lift  up  the  light 
of  the  countenance  means  to  show  favor.  The  opposite  expression,  there- 
fore, to  cause  the  light  of  the  countenance  to  fall,  must  mean  to  provoke 
displeasure  by  unbecoming  behavior  ;  to  bring  a  cloud  upon  the  counte- 
nance. 

25.  When  I  came  among  them :  lit.  /  chose  their  way  ;  the  particle 
DX    being  understood.     Or  rather  it  is  a  common  idiom  of  the  Hebrew  to 

omit  the  conditional  particle,  just  as  when  in  English  one  puts  the  verb  be- 
fore the  pronoun.  Smiled  I  upon  them,  then  they  believed  it  not.  Came 
I  among  them,  then  I  sat,  SfC. 

Ch.  XXX.  1.  — younger  than  I.  The  veneration  paid  to  the  aged  by 
the  Orientals  quickened  their  sensibility  with  respect  to  contempt  and  in- 
dignities offered  by  the  young. 

2.  Of  what  use,  SfC. :  i.  e.  If  I  have  a  mind  to  employ  them,  they  are 
so  reduced  and  enfeebled  by  their  wretched  condition  as  to  be  incapable  of 
rendering  me  service.  Old  age,  8fc. :  i.  e.  who  are  so  much  emaciated  by 
famine,  as  to  have  no  hope  or  prospect  of  old  age. 

3.  — famished:    l^robj,   primarily,  hard;  and  is  applied   to  a  dry, 

stony  soil ;  and  hence  it  denotes,  barren,  dry,  emaciated,  according  to  the 
connection.  It  occurs  in  ch.  xv.  84,  and  Is.  xlix.  21.  —  The  darkness  of 
desolate  wastes  :  more  literally.  Darkness,  wasting,  and  desolation  ;  or. 
The  night  of  wasting  and  desolation.  See  note  on  ch.  iii.  7.  See  Merc, 
or  Ges.  upon  B'DN.  • 

4.  — purslain.  It  is  most  probable  that  it  denotes  the  plant  a/rzpZex 
haJimus,  or  sea-orach,  or  purslain,  which  Dioscorides  describes  as  a  kind 
of  bramble  without  thorns,  the  leaves  of  which  used  to  be  boiled  and 
eaten.     It  has  a  saltish  taste.     n^^D  is  a  denominative  from  Pl/Q,  salt. 

So  we  have  in  English  salad,  and  in  French,  German,  Italian,  salade, 
salat,  insalata.  See  Harris's  Nat.  Hist,  of  the  Bible,  p.  285.  — the 
broom.  This  is  a  plant  abounding  in  the  desert  and  sandy  plains  of 
Egypt  and  Arabia.     Its  root  is  very  bitter.     See  Ros. 

8.  —  beaten :  i.  e.  driven  out  with  blows. 

10.  — spit  before  my  face.  The  association  between  spitting  and  shame 
is  such  now  in  the  East  that  we  can  scarcely  conceive  of  it.  Monsieur 
d'Arvieux  tells  us,  "  The  Arabs  are  sometimes  disposed  to  think,  that, 
when  a  person  spits,  it  is  (lone  out  of  contempt  ;  and  they  never  do  it 
before  their  superiors."     But  Sir  J.  Chardin's  MS.  goes  much  farther. 


JOB.  253 

He  tells  us,  in  a  note  on  Numb.  xii.  14,  that  "  spitting  before  any  one,  or 
spitting  upon  the  ground  in  speaking  of  any  one's  actions,  is,  through  the 
East,  an  expression  of  extreme  detestation."     It  was  probably  all  that  the 

law  required  in  Deut.   xxv.  9.     "^22  often  denoting  before  one,  in  one's 

presence.  See  Josh.  xxi.  44,  xxiii.  9  ;  Esth.  ix.  2.  See  Harmer's  Observ. 
ch.  xi.,  obs.  xcviii. 

11.  They  let  loose  the  reins,  and  humble  me.  They  insult  and  afflict  me 
without  restraint,  and  in  an  unbridled  manner.  Thus  the  meaning  is  the 
same  as  that  of  the  other  clause  of  the  verse. 

12.  —  the  brood.  The  youth  are  thus  called  by  way  of  reproach.  They 
cast  up  against  me  their  destructive  ways.  The  metaphor  is  drawn  from  the 
advance  of  a  besieging  army  against  a  city. 

13.  They  break  up  my  path :  i.  e.  They  oppose  all  my  plans,  and  hinder 
me  from  taking  any  course  for  my  relief  or  benefit.  —  They  that  have  no 
helper !  Schultens  has  shown  that  the  phrase,  one  who  has  no  helper,  was 
proverbial  amongst  the  Arabs,  and  denoted  a  worthless  person,  or  one  of  the 
lowest  class.     It  is  probably  so  used  here. 

15.  They  pursue  my  prosperity:  i.  e.  They  come  upon  me  with  unrelent- 
ing violence,  destroying  my  peace.  The  image  is  borrowed  from  a  person 
buffeted  by  a  violent  storm. 

16.  — poureth  itself  out  upon  me.  So  in  Ps.  xlii.  4.  In  our  language  we 
say  that  one  is  dissolved  in  grief.  The  foundation  of  the  metaphor  is,  that 
in  excessive  grief  the  mind  loses,  as  it  were,  all  consistence.  The  Arabians 
style  a  fearful  person  one  who  has  a  watery  heart,  or  whose  heart  melts  away 
like  uxUer. 

17.  —  my  gnawers  :  i.  e.  my  gnawing  pains.  Et  qui  me  comedunt  nan 
dormiunt.     Vulg. 

18.  —  is  my  garment  changed  :  i.  e.  his  skin  which  was  affected  by  the 
leprosy,  so  that  he  could  scarcely  be  recognised.  Some,  however,  suppose 
the  meaning  to  be  that  his  outer  garment,  the  mantle,  had  become  close 
like  the  tunic.  Schultens  renders  it,  it  (pain)  hath  become  my  garment. 
He  has  shown  that  it  is  a  common  metaphor  in  Arabic  poetry.  It  ao-recs 
well  with  the  parallel  clause.  — like  the  collar  of  my  tunic.  The 
allusion  probably  is  to  that  kind  of  Eastern  tunic  which  was  seamless,  and 
all  of  a  piece,  and  had  an  opening  at  the  top,  with  a  sort  of  collar  which 
was  fastened  close  around  the  neck.     Comp,  Exod.  xxviii.  32. 

19.  —  I ayn  become  like,  Sfc.  :  i.  e.  more  like  a  mass  of  inanimate  matter 
than  a  living  man.     See  ch,  ix.  31,  and  note. 

20.  /  stand  up.  Standing  being  the  usual  posture  of  prayer  amongst  the 
Hebrews,  to  stand,  or  statid  up,  is  sometimes  used  for  to  pray,  as  Grotius 
remarks  in  his  note  on  Matt.  vi.  5.     See  Gen.  xviii.  22;  Jer.  xv.  1.    Scott 


254  NOTES. 

22.  Thou  liftest  me  up,  ^c.  He  represents  his  miseries  under  the  image 
of  a  person  caught  up  into  the  air  by  a  tempest,  and  driven  like  stubble,  or 
like  a  cloud,  by  the  wind.  —  Thou  meltest  me  away :  i.  e.  my  strength  of  body 
and  mind.  Thou  leavest  nothing  solid  or  firm  in  me.  Some  think  this  to 
be  a  continuation  of  the  metaphor  in  the  first  clause,  referring  to  a  cloud, 
which,  having  been  driven  about  by  the  wind,  melts  away  and  disappears. 
—  in  the  storm :  or  more  literally,  the  rattling,  or  clashing,  or  noise  of  the 
tempest.  With  considerable  hesitation  I  have  concluded  to  adopt  this  ren- 
dering, proposed  by  Stuhlmann,  in  his  Translation  published  in  Hamburg, 
1804,  as  being  on  the  whole  more  probable  than  any  of  the  various  mean- 
ings assigned  to  the  Hebrew  in  ancient  or  modern  versions.  It  is  obtained 
by  altering  the  vowel  points  so  as   to  read  T\WPi,  and  regarding  this  as 

equivalent  to  HXK'i"^,  or  nx-lll^n,  which  is  found  in  the  plural  in  xxxv.  29, 

referring  to  the  noise,  rattling,  or  clashing  of  Jehovah's  tabernacle,  and 
xxxix.  7  referring  to  the  shoutings  of  the  driver,  and  in  Is.  xxii.  2  to  the 
tumult  of  a  multitude,  and  in  Zech.  ix.  7  to  shouts  of  joy.  As  to  the  omis- 
sion of  the  N,  which  this  rendering  supposes,  it  occurs  often  in  Job. 
See  xxii.  29,  xxxi.  35,  xxxiii.  17,  xxxiv.  36,  xxxix.  7.  A  considerable 
number  of  modern  Hebraists,  such  as  Ewald,  Heiligstedt,  Hirzel,  Schlott- 
man,  and  others  have  adopted  this  rendering.  If  it  be  liable  to  objec- 
tions, are  not  other  renderings  liable  to  greater  1  The  rendering  of  the 
Common  Version  —  my  substance,  or  the  similar  rendering- — my  safety  — 
my  strength,  Sfc.  involves  the  unusual  construction.  Thou  meltest  me  away 
as  to  substance  or  safety,  and  besides  is  not  in  accordance  with  the  preced- 
ing figure. 

24.  For  a  defence  of  this  rendering,  see  Eos.,  and  Ges.  Lex.  upon  ^^3, 
It  is  also  adopted  by  De  Wette. 

26.  But  when  I  looked,  ^'c.  He  expected  to  be  made  happy  all  his  life, 
through  the  divine  benediction,  on  account  of  his  charity  and  other  virtues  ; 
but,  instead  of  that,  he  was  made  most  miserable. 

27.  My  bowels  boil,  Sfc.  These  expressions,  in  their  literal  meaning,  de- 
scribe the  violent  inward  heat  caused  by  his  inflammatory  disease.  They 
may  likewise  include  the  ferment  of  his  mind  ever  since  his  afflictions  came 
upon  him.  The  heart  and  the  reins,  in  the  Oriental  figurative  style,  denote 
the  thoughts  and  passions.     Scott. 

29.  /  am  black,  but  not  by  the  sun.  His  disease  had  made  his  complexion 
as  swarthy  as  that  of  the  poor  laborers  in  the  field,  who  are  exposed  to  the 
scorching  sun  in  that  hot  climate  ;  and  so  sharp  were  his  pains,  that  he  was 
obliged  to  shriek  out,  even  in  a  public  assembly. 

29.  /  am  become  a  brother  to  jackals:  i.  e.  I  am  like  the  jackal  with 
respect  to  his  mournful  cries.    Dr.  Shaw  observes  that  jackals  make  a 


JOB.  255 

hideous  howling  in  the  night.  Dr.  Pococke  observes,  in  his  note  upon 
Micah  i.  8,  "The  ancient  Syriac  describes  it  by  a  word,  which,  in  that 
language,  as  their  own  authors  tell  us,  signifies  a  kind  of  wild  beast, 
between  a  dog  and  a  fox,  or  a  wolf  and  a  fox,  which  the  Arabians  call, 
from  the  noise  they  make,  Ebn  Jiwi^  or  wawi,  and  our  English  travellers 
and  other  Europeans,  by  a  name  borrowed  from  the  people  of  those 
countries,  where  they  are  more  known  than  in  Europe,  jackalesy  which, 
abiding  in  the  fields  and  waste  places,  make  in  the  night  a  lamentable 
howling  noise,  insomuch  that  travellers,  unacquainted  with  them,  would 
think  that  a  company  of  people,  women  or  children,  were  howling  one  to 
another,  as  none  that  have  travelled  in  those  parts  of  Syria,  &c.,  can  be 
ignorant.  This  translation  seems  to  carry  more  reason  with  it  than  the 
rendering  it  dragons ;  because  of  the  hissing  of  dragons,  as  of  other 
Berpents,  we  hear  and  read,  but  nowhere  in  any  creditable  author  of  their 
howling,  or  making  such  a  noise  as  may  be  called  wailing,  or  like  to  it." 
See  also  ]v\  in  Ges.  Lex.,  and  Harris's  Nat.  Hist.  p.  113.  —  And  a  com- 
panion to  ostriches.  Companion  is  used  like  brother  in  the  preceding  line, 
to  denote  resemblance.     See  Ges.  upon  nJJ^"'.     "During  the  lonesome  part 

of  the  night,"  says  Dr.  Shaw,  "  they  (the  ostriches)  make  very  doleful  and 
hideous  noises  ;  which  would  sometimes  be  like  the  roaring  of  a  lion  ;  at 
other  times  it  would  bear  a  nearer  resemblance  to  the  hoarser  voice  of 
other  quadrupeds,  particularly  of  the  bulJ  and  the  ox.  I  have  often  heard 
them  groan  as  if  they  were  in  the  greatest  agonies."  Shawns  Travels, 
Vol.  11.  p.  348.  8vo. 

80.  — is  black,  and  falleth  from  me:  lit.  ts  black  from  upon  me. 
Construct.  Praeg. 

31.  My  harp,  8fc.  These  were  probably  proverbial  expressions, 
denoting  a  change  from  happiness  to  misery. 

Ch.  XXXI.  The  apology  of  Job  in  this  chapter,  says  Mr.  Scott,  which 
turns  chiefly  on  his  behavior  in  private  life,  is  not  the  effusion  of  vanity 
and  self-applause.  It  is,  in  regard  to  his  antagonists,  necessary  self- 
defence  and  solid  refutation.  Yet  I  think,  from  its  connection  with  the 
foregoing  account  of  his  suflferings,  and  from  verses  35-37,  his  favorite 
design  evidently  is  to  show  that  God  had  multiplied  his  wounds  withovd 
cause.  In  this  view  he  is  chargeable  with  justifying  himself  more  than 
God  ;  that  is,  with  making  his  own  cause  to  be  more  just  than  that  of 
Providence.  If  we  except  this  fault,  however,  the  picture  which  he  has 
drawn  is  a  masterly  piece  of  moral  painting.  Nothing  can  be  more 
finished  and  amiable  than  the  character  here  represented.  It  is  an 
exemplification  of  the  most  disinterested  virtue,  inspired  and  ennobled  by 


256  NOTES. 

the  most  rational  and  exalted  piety.    In  short,  this  apology  may  be  justly 
styled  a  fine  epitome  of  morality  and  religion. 
1.     How  then,  ^c.  :  or,  That  I  would  not,  8fC. 

6.  Let  him  weigh  me,  ^c.  Some  suppose  this  verse  to  be  parenthetical, 
and  that  the  imprecation  in  verse  8  relates  to  verse  5,  as  well  as  to  verse 
7.  Others,  that  this  verse  includes  a  tacit  imprecation  :  Let  him  weigh 
me,  S^c,  and  if  I  am  found  guilty.  May  he  do  so  to  me,  and  more  also ! 

7,  — from  the  way  :  i.  e.  of  rectitude.  —  Or  if  any  stain :  i.  e.  any 
unjust  gain.  If  I  have  taken  the  property  of  others  by  fraud  or  violence. 
The  Sept.  renders  the  clause.  If  I  have  touched  gifts  with  my  hands :  i.  e. 
taken  bribes. 

9.  —  a  woman.  A  woman  here  means  a  married  woman.  It  stands 
opposed  to  a  maid  in  verse  1,  and  is  rendered  wife  in  ver.  10.  — watched, 
SfC,  to  see  when  the  husband  was  absent,  and  when  there  was  an  oppor- 
tunity for  committing  adultery. 

10.  Then  let  my  wife  grind  for  another :  i.  e.  let  her  be  his  abject 
slave.  The  ancients  ground  their  corn  with  hand-mills.  This  was  the 
work  of  female  servants.     See  Ex.  xi.  5  ;  Is.  xlvii.  2  ;  Matt.  xxiv.  41. 

12.  Yea,  it  were  afire,  ^c.  The  commission  of  such  a  crime  would 
have  provoked  God  to  send  destruction,  like  a  consuming  fire,  upon  my 
family  and  estate.    See  Ps.  Ixxxiii.  14. 

14.  —  riseth  up  :  i.  e.  as  a  judge,  to  inquire  into  and  punish  the  sins  of 
men. 

16.  Or  caused  the  eyes  of  the  widow  to  fail :  i.  e.  If  I  refused  her  the 
•relief  which  she  implored  of  me  with  earnest  eyes. 

17.  Have  I  eaten  my  morsel  alone  7  "No  sooner  was  our  food  pre- 
pared, whether  it  was  potted  flesh,  boiled  with  rice,  a  lentil  soup,  the  red 
pottage.  Gen.  xxv.  30,  or  unleavened  cakes,  served  up  with  oil  or  honey, 
than  one  of  the  Arabs,  after  having  placed  himself  on  the  highest  spot  of 
ground  in  the  neighborhood,  calls  out  thrice  with  a  loud  voice  to  all  their, 
brethren,  the  sons  of  the  faithful,  to  come  and  partake  of  it,  though  none 
of  them  were  in  view,  or  perhaps  within  a  hundred  miles  of  them." 
Shawns  Travels,  Vol.  I.  p.  xx.  Burckhardt  informs  us  that  in  Kerek,  a 
city  in  Arabia,  "  when  a  stranger  enters  the  town,  the  people  almost  come 
to  blows  with  one  another,  in  their  eagerness  to  have  him  for  their  }4uc.st; 
and  there  are  Turks  who  every  other  day  kill  a  goat  for  this  hospitable 
purpose.'* 

18.  — helped  the  widow  :  lit.  assisted  her,  the  antecedent  being  in  verse 
16. 

21.  Because  I  saw  my  help  in  the  gate:  i.  e.  When,  on  account  of 
my  influence  in  the  courts  of  justice,  I  could  commit  any  act  of  injustice 
with  impunity. 

22.  And  my  fore-arm,  ^c.    There  is  a  striking  grandeur  in  this  im- 


JOB.  257 

precation  on  the  arm  that  was  lifted  up  to  threaten  an  orphan  in  a  court 
of  justice.  Scoit.  — from  its  bone  :  i.  e.  from  the  upper  arm,  to  which  it 
was  appeuded. 

26.  If  I  have  beheld,  ^-c.  See  Deut.  iv.  19.  Sabaism,  or  the  worship 
of  the  heavenly  bodies,  was  doubtless  the  most  aucient  species  of  idolatry. 
The  Arabs  went  early  into  it.  They  adored  the  sun  and  moon,  the  planets, 
and  the  fixed  stars.     See  Ency clop.  Amer.  Art.     Sabaism. 

27.  yJnd  my  mouth  have  kissed  my  hand.  Kissing  the  idol  was  an  act 
of  religious  homage.  The  Mahometans,  at  the  preseut  day,  in  their 
worship  at  Mecca,  kiss  the  black  stone,  which  is  fastened  in  the  corner  of 
the  Beat-Allah,  as  often  as  they  pass  by  it,  in  their  rapid  walks  round  that 
sacred  building.  If  they  cannot  come  near  enough  to  kiss  it,  they  touch 
it  with  their  hand,  and  kiss  that.  This  seems  to  be  a  remnant  of  the 
ancient  idolatry,  though  not  practised  as  such  by  them.  The  heavenly 
bodies,  being  at  too  great  a  distance  for  a  salute  of  the  mouth,  their  wor- 
shippers substituted  kissing  their  own  hands  in  place  of  that  ceremony. 
Scott.  Minutius  Felix  (De  Sacrif ,  cap.  2,  ad  fin.)  remarks,  that,  when 
Caecilius  observed  the  statue  of  Serapis,  "  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
superstitious  vulgar,  he  moved  his  hand  to  his  mouth,  and  kissed  it  with 
his  lips." 

32.  The  stranger,  S^c.     See  note  on  ver.  17. 

33.  — af/er  the  manner  of  men.  See  Is.  viii.  1  ;  Ps.  Ixxxii.  7.  Other- 
wise, Have  I,  like  Adam,  hidden  my  transgressions. 

34.  I  have  followed  Schultens,  Dathe,  and  Scott,  in  rendering  this 
verse  in  the  imprecatory  form.  Some  confine  the  imprecation  to  the  last 
line  of  the  verse. 

35  -  37.  Job  here  renews  the  wish,  which  he  had  expressed  in  ch.  xvii. 
8,  and  elsewhere,  that  God  would  enter  into  judgment  with  him.  He  is 
convinced  that  the  result  of  a  trial  would  be  honorable  to  him.  "  Bolder 
words  than  these  .Job  had  not  uttered  in  the  whole  dispute.  These  pro- 
voked Elihu  to  renew  the  debate,  and  these  are  the  expressions  for  which 
the  Almighty  chiefly  reprimanded  him,  in  ch.  xl.  2,  8,  taking  little  or  no 
notice  of  the  rest."     Michaelis. 

35.  — signature,  in.     This  is  the  name  of  the  Hebrew  letter  Hj  which 

has  the  form  of  a  cross  in  the  Phoenician  Alphabet,  and  on  the  coins  of 
the  Maccabees.  See  in  Stuart's  Grammar  the  Hebrew  coin-letter.  This 
mark,  or  cross,  was  used,  probably,  to  denote  the  name  of  the  person  who 
used  it,  when  he  was  unable  to  write  his  name.  Hence  it  denotes  a  sub- 
scription to  a  writing  of  complaint  or  defence,  or,  by  metonymy,  the 
writing  itself,  as  in  this  passage.  I  should  understand  it  here  a  bill  of 
defence,  rather  than  of  complaint,  as  Ges  explains  it.  Job  hardly  goes 
so  far  as  to  offer  to  bring  a  bill  of  complaint  against  God.  It  is  more 
probable  that  he  offers  a  bill  of  defence,  and  invites  the  Deity  to  answer 


258  NOTES. 

him,  i.  e.  to  refute  what  he  has  said  in  his  defence,  if  he  can,  and  to  bring 

what  charges  he  can  against  him.  — ind  let  mine  adversary,  ^c.  :  i.  e. 
Let  the  Ahiiighty,  as  adversary  or  opponent  in  court,  charge  me  with  any 
sins  on  account  of  which  I  sutter  my  extraordinary  afflictions. 

36.  Truly  I  would  wear  it  upon  my  shoulder y  S(C.  :  i.  e.  Instea^I  of 
being  ashamed  of  it,  or  endeavoring  to  conceal  it,  I  would  wear  it  as  an 
ornament  about  my  person.  I  would  glory  in  it,  as  affording  me  the  long 
desired  opportunity  of  vindicating  my  character. 

37.  —  ali  my  steps  :  i.  e.  the  whole  course  of  my  life.  —  /  would  ap- 
proach him  like  a  prince :  i.  e.  with  confidence  and  cheerfulness,  as  being 
conscious  of  innocence,  and  not  as  a  self-condemned  malefactor,  as  I  am 
regarded  by  my  friends. 

38-40.  It  is  not  improbable  that  these  verses  have  accidentally  been 
transferred  from  their  original  place  in  the  chapter,  and  that  the  speech 
of  Job  ended  with  verse  37.  The  natural  place  for  the  passage,  according 
to  modern  ideas  of  arrangement,  would  be  after  verse  23   or  25. 

38.  —  cry  out  against  me :  i.  e.  to  God  for  vengeance,  because  I  have 
obtained  it  ft-om  its  rightful  owners  by  fraud  or  violence.  See  Gen.  iv.  10; 
Hab.  ii.  11.  — bewail  together  :  i.  e.  of  my  injustice  in  keeping  the  land 
dishonestly  acquired. 

39.  —  without  payment :  i.  e.  without  paying  the  price  which  I  promised 
to  give  the  owner  of  the  land.  Or,  without  paying  the  laborers  their 
w.ages.  —  And  wrung  out  the  life  of  its  owners :  Literally,  caused  the  life 
of  the  owners  to  breathe  forth:  i.  e.  by  depriving  them  of  their  land; 
drained  their  life-blood,  as  we  should  say.  The  common  version  gives  the 
literal  meaning  of  the  words.  But  the  expression  is  probably  hyperbolical, 
meaning  to  injiict  great  distress. 

40.  —  noxious  weeds  :  nti'X3,   from  {irJG»  to  have  a  bad  smell.     So  the 

T   ;  T  ~ 

Chald. 


XXL 


With  chapter  thirty-second  commences  a  new  division  of  the  poem,  the 
design  of  which  seems  to  be  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  appearance  of  the 
Deity  in  the  latter  part  of  it.  A  new  speaker  is  introduced,  of  whose 
extraction,  and  of  v.hose  motives  for  renewing  the  debate,  an  account  is 
gi\en  in  tlie  first  five  verses.  In  the  last  chapter  .Job  had  triumphantly 
closed  his  defence  against   the  accusations  of  his   friends,   and   they  are 


JOB.  259 

now  represented  as  renouncing  the  discussion  "with  him,  *'  because  he 
was  righteous  in  his  own  eyes;  "  that  is,  because  he  contended  that  he 
hiul  been  guilty  of  no  wickedness  whicli  could  call  down  upon  him  the 
heavy  vengeance  of  God.  Elihu  now  steps  forward,  as  a  sort  of  nieiliator, 
or  arbiter  in  the  controversy.  He  expresses  his  dissatisfaction  with 
both  }»arties  ;  with  .Job,  "  because  he  had  pronounced  himself  lightei  us, 
rather  than  God,"  that  is,  because  he  had  defended  so  vehemently  the 
justice  of  his  own  cause,  that  he  seemed  in  some  measure  to  arraign  thu 
justice  of  God  ;  and  with  the  three  friends  "  because  they  had  not  tound 
an  answer,  and  yet  had  condemned  Job;  "  that  is,  they  had  concluded,  in 
their  own  minds,  that  Job  was  impious  and  wicked,  although  they  had 
nothing  specific  to  object  against  his  assertions  of  his  own  innocence,  or 
upon  which    they  might  safely   ground   their  accusation. 

Elihu  professes,  after  a  slight  prefatory  mention  of  himself,  to  reason 
with  Job,  unbiassed  either  by  favor  or  resentment.  He  therefore  reproves 
Job  from  his  own  mouth,  because  he  had  attributed  too  much  to  himself  ; 
because  he  had  insisted  too  strongly  upon  his  freedom  from  guilt  and  de- 
pravity; because  he  had  presumed  to  contend  with  God,  and  had  not 
scrupled  to  insinuate  that  the  Deity  was  hostile  to  him.  He  asserts  that  it 
is  not  necessary  for  God  to  explain  and  develop  his  counsels  to  men;  that 
he  takes  many  occasions  of  admonishing  them,  not  only  by  visions  and 
revelations,  but  also  by  the  visitations  of  his  providence,  by  sending 
calamities  and  diseases  upon  them,  in  order  to  repress  their  arrogance,  and 
turn  them  from  those  evil  purposes  which  would  end  in  their  ruin.  He 
seems  to  regard  afflictions,  not  as  punishment  for  past  offences,  nor  as 
evidence  of  a  guilty  character;  but  rather  as  preventives  of  those  sins 
which  the  best  men  sometimes  commit,  and  as  salutary  discipline  for  the 
correction  of  those  faults  of  which  a  man  may  be  unconscious,  until  his 
attention  is  awakened  by  adversity.  Ch.  xxxiii.  He  next  rebukes  Job, 
because  he  had  pronounced  himself  innocent,  and  affirmed  that  God  had 
acted  inimically,  if  not  unjustly,  towards  him.  He  brings  forward  various 
considerations  to  show  that  the  Governor  of  the  world  can  do  nothing  in- 
consistent with  justice  and  benevolence.  From  these  considerations  he 
infers  the  duty  of  a  man  in  Job's  situation.  Ch.  xxxiv.  He  then  objects 
to  Job,  that,  from  the  miseries  of  the  good  and  the  prosperity  of  the 
wicked,  he  has  falsely  and  perversely  concluded  that  there  is  no  advantage 
to  be  derived  from  the  practice  of  virtue.  On  the  contrary,  he  affirms, 
that,  when  the  afflictions  of  the  just  continue,  it  is  because  they  do  not 
place  a  proper  confidence  in  God,  ask  relief  at  his  hands,  patiently  expect 
it,  nor  demean  themselves  before  him  with  becoming  humility  and  sub- 
mission. This  observation  alone,  he  adds  very  properly,  (xxxv.  4,)  is  at 
once  a  sufficient  reproof  of  the  contumacy  of  Job,  and  a  full  refutation  of 
the  unjust  suspicions  of  his  friends.     Ch.  xxxv.     Lastly,  he  expLainiS  the 


2G0  NOTES. 

purposes  of  the  Deity  ia  chastening  men,  which  are,  in  general,  to  prove 
and  auieud  them,  to  repress  their  arrogance,  to  aiford  him  an  opportunity 
of  exemplifying  his  justice  upon  the  obstinate  and  rebellious,  and  of  show- 
ing fivor  to  the  humble  and  obedient.  He  supposes  God  to  have  acted  in 
tliis  manner  towards  Job;  on  this  account  he  exhorts  him  to  humble  him- 
self before  his  righteous  Judge,  to  beware  of  appearmg  obstinate  or  con- 
tain,loious  in  his  sight,  and  of  relapsing  into  a  repetition  of  his  sin.  He 
entreats  him,  from  the  contemplation  of  the  divine  power  and  majesty,  to 
euieivor  to  retain  a  proper  reverence  for  the  Almighty,  and  to  submit  to 
his  mysterious  allotments.  Ch.  xxxvi.,  xxxvii.  To  these  frequently  in- 
termitted and  often  repeated  admonitions  of  Elihu,  Job  malies  no  reply. 
Lowth.  Bouillier  observes  that  Elihu  did  not  hit  upon  the  precise  cause 
of  Job's  afflictions,  though  he  gave  a  more  rational  conjecture  than  the 
three  friends  o^  Job.  Thus  one  purpose  of  the  poet  is  answered,  viz.  that 
of  showing,  that  it  is  better  to  submit  to  the  wisdom  of  Providence  than 
curiously  to  pry  into  it. 

Ch.  XXXn.  2.  Then  was  kindled  the  wrath.  These  expressions  do 
not  mean  that  he  was  in  a  passion.  They  are  the  strong  Oriental  manner 
of  denoting  high  disappi'obation.  At  most,  they  signify  no  more  than  a 
becoming  warmth.  Scott.  — Elihu  .  .  .  the  Buzite.  We  know  nothing 
more  of  Elihu  tlian  is  here  mentioned.  Buz  was  the  second  son  of  Nahor, 
the  brother  of  Abraham;  and  the  city  of  this  name,  probably  derived 
from  the  same  family,  is  mentioned  in  Jer.  xxv.  23,  in  conjunction  with 
Dedan,  wliich  we  know  to  have  been  in  Idumaea.     Good. 

4.  — till  Job  had  spoken  :  Supply,  a ??(/ /m's  three  friends. 

8.  — the  spirit  in  man.     By  supposing  pl-ntomeanMe  divine  spirit, 

so  as  to  be  synonymous  with  the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty,  in  the  other 
clause  of  the  verse,  the  parallelism  is  preserved,  and  a  sense  well  suited 
to  the  connection  aiforded.  Having  said,  in  the  preceding  verse,  that  he 
had  expected  to  find  wisdom  in  age  and  in  experience,  he  now  intimates 
tliat  he  is  disappointed;  that  he  finds  that  wisdom  is  not  the  attribute  of 
ago  or  station;  that  it  is  the  gift  of  God;  and  that  what  is  denied  to  the 
great  and  the  aged  may  be  found  in  a  youth.  The  expressions,  the 
spirit,  and  the  inspiration  of  the  Mmighty,  may  denote  the  divine  gift  of 
natural  genius  and  endowments,  or  extraordinary  illumination  from  the 
Fatlier  of  lights.  The  connection  seems  to  be  in  favor  of  the  latter  sense 
here.  The  ancients  used  to  ascribe  all  extraordinary  endowments  to  divine 
assistance.  Thus  m  Homer,  a  person  is  wise  by  the  assistance  of  Minerva, 
&c.  Milton  has  a  similar  sentiment  in  the  preface  to  the  Reason  of  Church 
Government,  urged  against  Prelati/ :  "  And  if  any  man  think  I  under- 
take a  task  too  difficult  for  my  years,  I  trust,  through   the  supreme  en- 


JOB.  261 

lightening  assistance,  far  otherwise  ;  for  my  years,  be  they  few  or  many, 
what  imports  it?  So  they  bring  reason,  let  that  be  looked  on."  Some 
reader  the  verse  thus  : 

There  is,  indeed,  a  spirit  in  man  ; 

But  it  is  the  inspiration  of  the  Almiglity  that  giveth  understanding. 

13.  God  must  conquer  him,  not  man  :  i.  e.  Do  not  excuse  your  ceasing 
to  reply,  by  alleging  that  the  wisest  course  which  can  be  taken  with  Job 
is  to  leave  him  to  be  humbled  by  God,  as  being  too  obstinate  to  be  r^- 
claimed  by  man.     So  Scott,  though  not  with  the  best  taste, 

Say  not,  "  'T  is  wisdom  that  we  leave  to  God 
To  humble  this  stiff  sinner  with  his  rod  !  " 

Otherwise,  God  hath  thrust  him  down,  not  man  :  i.  e.  Say  not  that  ye  have 
gone  to  the  root  of  the  matter,  and  proposed  an  unanswerable  argument 
against  Job,  and  proved  him  to  be  a  bad  man,  by  the  assertion  that  his 
misery  is  inflicted  by  a  just  God.     So  Merc. 

14.  And  with  speeches  like  yours  will  I  not  answer  him.  Their 
speeches  were  levelled  against  his  whole  moral  character,  aiming  to  prove 
him  a  wicked  man  from  the  similarity  of  his  suflerings  to  those  of  noto- 
riously wicked  men.  Elihu  takes  another  course.  He  limits  his  censure 
to  Job's  answers  in  this  dispute.  He  fixes  upon  some  of  the  most  obnox- 
ious passages,  such  as  seemed  to  betray  too  high  conceit  of  his  own  virtue, 
want  of  respect  to  God,  and  dishonorable  sentiments  of  Providence,  and 
takes  occasion  from  these  passages  to  vindicate  the  divine  goodness,  equity, 
and  justice.     Scott. 

15.  They  ivere  confounded !  8fC.  Elihu  here  ridicules  the  friends  of 
Job,  because  they  were  unable  to  answer  him.  Some  suppose  that  Elihu 
here  addresses  an  audience  who  were  listening  to  the  discussion,  and  de- 
sires them  to  observe  the  confusion  of  the  three  friends.  There  is  no 
objection  to  this  explanation,  except  that  it  is  unnecessary.  For  the  third 
person  is  often  used  for  the  first  or  second  in  Hebrew  poetry,  and  particu- 
larly when  censure  or  contempt  is  expressed.  See  ch.  xiii.  28,  xviii. 
4,  xli.  9. 

18.  The  spirit  within  :  i.  e.  My  soul,  which  is  full  of  ardor,  and 
powerfully  impelled  to  make  known  my  views. 

19.  Like  bottles  of  new  wine :  literally,  new  bottles.  These  bottles, 
being  made  of  skin,  were  liable  to  burst,  when  they  had  become  old,  and 
were  filled  with  new  wine.     See  Mat.  ix.  17. 

21.  /  will  not  be  partial,  S^c. :  i.  e.  I  will  deliver  my  sentiments  with 
freedom  and  impartiality. 

22.  —  take  me  away  :  i.  e.  destroy  me. 


262  NOTES. 


Ch.  XXXITI.  3.  —  knowledge  purely  :  This  may  mean  that  he  utters 
what  he   knows  sincerely,  or  that   he  gives  a  true  view  of  the  subject. 

4.  The  spirit  of  Qod  made  met  ^c-  •  i-  6.  I  am  thy  fellow-creature,  de- 
pendent like  thee  upon  God,  and  therefore  fit  to  discourse  with  thee  upon 
equal  tarms. 

6.  Behold,  /,  like  thee,  am  a  creature  of  God.  Lit.  /,  like  thee,  am 
by  Gol,  i.  e  created  by  God.  This  meaning  accords  with  that  of  the 
parallel  clause.  He  intimates  that  Job  might  engage  him  upon  equal 
terms,  having  nothing  to  fear  but  the  strength  of  his  arguments. 

7.  Behold,  7ny  terror,  Sfc. :  i.  e.  You  are  in  no  danger  of  being  con- 
founded by  the  terror  of  my  appearance,  or  of  being  borne  down  by  the 
weight  of  my  authority.  In  order  to  see  the  force  of  this  declaration ,  we 
must  call  to  mind  the  bold  challenge  of  Job  in  ch.  ix.  34,  35,  xiii.  20  -  22. 

9.  lam  pure,  and  without  transgression.  Job  had  not  used  these 
very  expressions,  but  he  had  used  others  equivalent  to  them,  in  ch.  ix. 
30,  X.  7,  xiii.  23,  xvi.  17. 

10.  Behold,  he  sccketh  causes  of  hostility  against  me,  SfC.  See  Ges. 
upon  nxOi^j  and  Ros.     He  refers  to  the  language  of  Job  in  ch.  xiii.  24, 

25,  xiv.  16,  17,  xix.  11. 

11.  He  putteth  my  feet,  SfC.     See  ch.  xiii.  27. 

12.  Behold,  in  this  thou  art  not  right :  i.  e.  Your  language  to  the 
Deity  is  wholly  inexcusable.  It  is  inconsistent  with  the  reverence  which 
is  due  to  so  great  a  Being.  —  God  is  greater  than  man.  "  This  is  one 
of  those  expressions  which  imply  much  more  than  is  expressed.  There  is 
a  kind  of  ii'onical  castigation  in  it.  As  if  he  had  said,  "  You  talk  to  God 
as  an  equal  ;  but  methinks  he  is  somewhat  superior  to  us."     Scott. 

13.  Why  dost  thou,  ^c.  To  convince  Job  how  culpable  his  behavior 
is,  Elihu  argues  that  it  is  irx-everent  and  fruitless.  God,  says  he,  will 
never  stoop  to  defend  his  measures  against  murmurers,  nor  will  he  com- 
municate the  reasons  of  them  to  those  who  cavil  at  his  dispensations. 
Scott. 

14.  For  God  speakeih,  ^c.  He  alleges  another  argument  against 
striving  with  God.  There  is  no  just  cause  for  it.  God  has  sufficiently 
manifested  his  goodness  and  care  of  mankind,  by  the  methods  which  he 
takes  to  show  them  their  duty,  to  recover  them  from  their  wanderings, 
and  thereby  to  save  them  from  desti'uction.     Scott. 

16.  —  sealeth  up,  ^-c.  :  i.  e.  secretly  admonishes  them. 

17.  And  hide  pride  from  man.  Pride  may  comprehend  insolence 
towards  God  and  towards  man.  But  I  apprehend  that  Elihu  had  his  eye 
on  the  former  ;  and  that  he  glances  at  Job's  too  high  opinion  of  his  own 
rectitude  and  merit,  which  gave  rise  to  his  complaints  against  God. 
Scott. 


JOB.  263 

18,22.  — his  life  —  his  soul.  These  words  denote  the  person  himself, 
and  are  equivalent  to  the  personal  pronoun  he.    See  Stuart's  Gram.  §  186. 

22.  —  the  destroyers  :  i.  e.  angels  of  death,  or  the  instruments  or  causes 
of  death  genei'ally. 

23.  — a  messenger,  an  interpreter :  V"'7D  ^kSd.     Some  render  these 

words  a  mediating  angel,  so  called  from  being  the  medium  of  communica- 
tion between  God  and  man.  As  Satan  is  represented  as  going  round  the 
earth,  and  accusing  the  pious  before  God,  it  is  said  to  be  natural  that 
good  angels  should  be  employed  on  errands  of  mercy.  This  may  be  the 
true  meaning.  But  as  a  prophet  or  religious  teacher  is  often  called  by 
this  name,  (see  Eccl.  v.  6  ;  Hag.  i.  13  ;  Mai.  ii.  7,)  and  is  the  usual  per- 
son employed  for  the  instruction  of  men,  it  is  most  probable  that  such  a 
person  is  denoted  here.  Elihu  may  refer  to  himself,  and  to  the  office 
which  he  was  then  performing  towards  Job.  Throughout  his  speech  he  is 
represented  as  thinking  very  highly  of  himself,  and  I  am  persuaded  that 
he  was  thinking  of  himself  here.  —  an  interpreter  :  i.  e.  a  teacher,  one 
who  makes  known  the  will  of  God.  — one  of  a  thousand :  i.e.  a  rare 
person,  one  well  qualified  to  be  a  religious  monitor.  See  Eccl.  vii.  28. 
—  his  duty  :  i.  e.  what  reason  and  religion  require  of  a  man  in  his  situa- 
tion ;  repentance,  submission,  and  prayer  to  God  for  pardon.  In  Cran- 
mer's  Bible,  to  show  him  ike  right  way.  The  instruction  is  supposed  to 
be  etfectual,  as  appears  from  the  following  verses. 

24.  —  and  say.  Save  him :  i.  e.  he  shall  be  saved.  —  /  have  found  a 
ransom  :  i.  e.  I  am  satisfied  with  his  repentance  ;  he  has  been  sufficiently 
humbled  by  his  afflictions.  Whatever  is  a  means  of  averting  punishment, 
or  of  procuring  deliverance  from  evil,  and  conciliating  the  divine  favor,  is 
termed  in  Scripture  a  ransom,  or  atonement.  The  intercession  of  Moses 
and  the  act  of  Phineas  are  so  called,  and  here  the  sick  man's  repentance. 
See  Ex.  xxxii.  30;  Numb.  xxv.  13.  So  Ecclesiasticus  xxxv.  3,  '*To 
depart  from  wickedness  is  a  thing  pleasing  to  the  Lord  ;  and  to  forsake 
unrighteousness  is  a  propitiation  "  {fzi/.txauog). 

26.  — to  see  his  face,  ^c. :  i.  ft.  to  enjoy  his  favor.  The  expression  is 
borrowed  from  Oriental  ideas  respecting  kings  and  great  men  ;  to  be 
admitted  into  whose  presence,  or  to  see  whose  faces,  was  esteemed  a  mark 
of  favor  a  privilege.  — And  restore  unto  man  his  innocence :  i.  e.  regard 
and  treat  him  as  innocent. 

27.  He  shall  sing.     See  Ges.  upon  *i''Kr. 

29.  Time  after  time  :  lit.  Twice  and  thrice.  The  Sept.  renders  it, 
6^oi;c  TQfrc,  three  \oays,  referring  to  three  ways  in  Avhich  men  are  said  lo 
be  admonished,  viz.  by  dreams,  ver.  15,  by  sickness,  ver.  19,  and  by  a 
religious  teacher,  ver.  23. 


264  NOTES. 

Ch.  XXXIV.     6.  —  I  am  made  a  liar  :  i.  e.  I  am  regarded  as  a  wicked  • 
man  on  account  of  my  misex'y,  notwithstanding  my  innocence.     See  ch. 
xvi.  8.  —  My  wound,  S^c.     See  ch.  ix.  17. 

8.  Who  goeth  in  company,  Sfc. :  i.  e.  Who  speaks  like  the  wicked 
men,  who  call  Providence  in  question. 

**  Marmoreo  tumulo  Licinus  jacet,  at  Cato  nuUo  ; 
Pompeius  parvo.     Quis  putet  esse  Deos  ?  " 

9.  A  man  hath  no  advantage,  ^c.  Job  had  not  used  this  language  ; 
but  in  ch.  ix.  22,  and  ch.  xxi.,  he  had  expressed  nearly  the  same  senti- 
ment. 

13.  Who  hath  given  him  the  charge,  ^c.  Elihu's  first  argument,  to 
prove  that  God  cannot  be  unjust,  is  taken  from  his  independence.  Were 
God  a  subordinate  governor,  he  might  be  tempted  to  commit  injuries,  to 
gratify  the  avarice  or  resentment  of  his  superior.     Scott. 

14.  Shonld  he  set  his  heart  against  man  :  i.  e.  Should  he  deal  severely 
with  him.  His  second  argument  is  from  the  divine  benevolence.  If  God 
were  unjust,  revengeful,  and  cruel,  the  earth  would  be  a  dreadful  scene 
of  universal  desolation.  So  in  Wisdom  of  Sol.  xi.  24-26,  "For  thou 
lovest  all  things  that  are,  and  abhorrest  nothing  which  thou  hast  made  ; 
for  never  wouldst  thou  have  made  anything,  if  thou  hadst  hated  it.  And 
how  could  anything  have  endured,  if  it  had  not  been  thy  will  ;  or  been 
preserved,  if  not  called  by  thee  ?  But  thou  sparest  all;  for  they  are  thine, 
0  Lord,  thou  lover  of  souls  !  "     Others  render  the  line,  If  he  had  regard 

for  himself  alone. 

17.  Shall  he,  that  hateth  justice,  govern  ?  The  argument  is  similar  to 
that  of  Abraham,  "  Shall  not  the  .Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right  ?  "  Gen. 
xvii.  25.  If  God  were  unjust,  there  would  be  nothing  but  disorder  and 
confusion  in  the  world. 

19.  How  much  less,  S^c.  So  Wisdom  of  Sol  vi.  7,8,  '*  For  he  who  is 
Lord  over  all  shall  fear  no  man's  person,  neither  shall  he  stand  in  awe  of 
any  man's  greatness  ;  for  he  hath  made  the  small  and  great,  and  careth 
for  all  alike.     But  a  sore  trial  shall  come  upon  the  mighty." 

20.  — yea,  at  midnight,  S^c.  The  allusion  seems  to  be  to  some  capital 
city  overthrown  by  an  earthquake.  —  and  pass  away  :  i.  e.  into  the  grave. 
—  without  hand  :  i.  e.  bj'  no  human  hand  ;  by  the  invisible  power  of  God. 
See  Lam.  iv   G  ;  Dan.  ii.  34. 

23.  He  needeth  not  attend  long  to  a  man  :  lit.  He  doth  not  fix  his 
mind   long   upon  a   man ;  13S    being   understood  after     D"'ty\   So    Ges., 

Datlie,  and  Ros.  The  circumstance  is  mentioned  to  illustrate  the  omni- 
science of  God,  and  the  suddenness  with  which  he  often  inflicts  punish- 
luciit.     Uii,  iu  whose  sight  all  things  are  naked  and  open,  has  no  need  of 


JOB.  '  265 

a  long  and  formal  exainiuatiou  into  a  man's  character  before  he  proceeds 
to  punish  him. 

24.  —  without  inquiry  :  i.  e.  without  judicial  investigation,  such  as  must 
be  resorted  to  by  men. 

26.     ///  the  presence,  ^c.  :  lit.  In  the  place  of  spectators. 

28.  ^nd  caused,  ^c.  Others  render,  So  that  he  {God)  caused  the  cry 
of  the  poor  to  come  upon  them. 

29.  Jlnd  when  he  hidelh  his  face,  who  can  behold  him  ?  i.  e.  When  he 
withdraws  his  favor,  who  can  expect  or  obtain  help  from  him  ? 

31,  32.  It  is  observed  by  Scott  that  the  petition  and  confession,  which 
Elihu  recommends  to  Job,  would  be  highly  improper  for  one  who  knows 
himself  to  be  guilty  of  heinous  crimes,  but  highly  fit  for  a  person  who, 
though  good  in  the  main,  has  reason  to  suspect  somewhat  amiss  in  his 
temper  and  conduct,  for  which  God  is  displeased  with  him.  It  appears 
plainly  that  Elihu  did  not  suppose  Job  to  be  a  wicked  man,  suffering  for 
his  oppressions,  bribery,  inhumanity,  and  impiety,  with  which  his  three 
friends  had  charged  him. 

33.  — and  not  he:  lit.  and  not  I;  by  Mimesis.  See  Glass,  p.  315; 
Stuart's  Gram.  §  212  ;  ch.  xviii.  4;  xxxv.  3. 

36.  —  i.  e.  that  he  may  not  cease  to  be  tried  with  afflictions,  until  he  is 
humble  or  penitent. 

Ch.  XXXV.  2.  /  am  more  righteous  than  God.  Job  had  not  used 
these  words  ;  but  this  was  the  amount  of  his  complaints  against  God,  and 
his  justification  of  himself.     See  ch.  ix.  30-35,  x.  15. 

3.  He  had  already  brought  the  charge  contained  in  this  verse,  in  ch. 
xxxiv.  9.  But  there  he  censured  the  complaint  of  Job,  as  an  arraign- 
ment of  the  justice  of  God.  Here  it  is  considered  as  implying  that  God 
was  under  obligation  to  him.  The  charge  is,  that  Job  had  in  effect  said  : 
I  have  been  more  just  to  God  than  he  hath  been  to  me.  I  have  discharged 
my  duty  to  him,  but  have  not  met  with  a  proper  return  from  him.  My 
innocence  hath  been  of  no  advantage  to  me.  Elihu  replies,  first,  that  so 
great  a  Being  cannot  possibly  be  hurt  by  the  sins,  or  benefited  by  the 
services,  of  men;  and,  secondly,  that  our  vice  and  virtue  can  harm  or 
profit  our  fellow-mortals  only.     Scott. 

4.  —  thy  companions  :  i.  e.  those  who  entertain  the  same  unworthy 
sentiments  of  God  and  his  providence. 

5.  Look  up  to  the  heavens,  ^c.  This  is  a  sublime  sentiment  in  a  plain 
dress.  One  view,  says  he,  of  the  magnificent  scenery  of  the  lofty  sky  will 
extinguish  all  low  conceptions  of  its  almighty  Author.  It  will  strike  the 
miml  with  a  vast  idea  of  his  infinite  superiority  to  all  other  beings,  and  of 
the  impossibility  of  his  gaining  or  suffering  by  the  good  or  bad  behavior 
of  his  reasonable  creatures.      Scolt. 

12 


266  NOTES. 

9.  The  oppressed  cry  out,  8fC.  He  now  passes  to  another  topic,  viz. 
Job's  complaint  of  God's  disregard  of  the  numerous  oppressions  committed 
in  the  world,  the  authors  of  which  he  suffers  to  escape  with  impunity. 
Elihu  replies,  that  when  God  avenges  not  the  oppressed  it  is  owing  to  their 
want  of  piety.  He  neglects  them,  because  they  neglect  him.  They  mur- 
mur, but  they  do  not  pray.  They  are  clamorous,  but  they  are  not  humble. 
This  seems  an  oblique  hint  to  Job  that  the  continuation  of  his  sufferings 
was  owing  to  his  uusubmitting  behavior.     Scott. 

10.  Who  givcih  songs  in  the  night.  Songs  are  thanksgivings  to  God 
for  deliverance.  The  term  7iight  metaphorically  denotes  affliction,  as  in 
eh.  xxxiv.  25. 

14.  Much  less  :  i.  e.  shalt  thou  be  heard.  He  alludes  to  the  complaints 
of  Job  in  ch.  xxiii.  8,  &c.  —  Justice  is  with  him,  ^c. :  i.e.  Although 
thou  complainest  that  God  does  not  appear  to  thee  for  thy  deliverance,  yet 
be  assured  that  thy  cause  is  known  to  him,  and  that  thou  shalt  receive 
justice  from  him,  if  thou  wilt  only  commit  thyself  to  him. 

15.  transgressions.    See  Ges.  upon  t^D.    T/aoa-^rTt-uu,  Sept.  and  Theodo- 

tion  ;  nunumMuuTu,  Symmachus  ;  scelus,.  Vulg.  Dr.  Durell  thinks 
i;>33  to  be  a  corruption  for  ^'ti'SS.     Some  suppose  that  he  refers  to  the 

transgressions  of  Job  by  this  expression,  particularly  to  his  irreverent 
speeches,  &c.  Others,  that  he  refers  to  the  transgressions  of  the  wicked, 
which  Job  had  asserted  to  be  committed  with  impunity. 

Ch.  XXXVr.  3.  I  will  bring  my  knowledge  from  afar  :  i.  e.  from 
remote  times,  places,  and  things.  I  will  not  confine  my  discourse  to  thy 
particular  case,  but  will  justify  God  by  declaring  his  great  and  glorious 
works  of  creation  and  providence,  both  in  heaven  and  earth,  and  his 
manner  of  dealing  with  men  in  other  parts  and  ages  of  the  world.    Poole. 

4.  A  man  of  sound  knowledge.  Elihu  refers  to  himself,  and  means 
that  be  is  unbiassed  by  prejudice,  and  will  not  seek  to  baffle  Job  by 
sophistical  arguments. 

5.  — but  despiseih  not  any.  He  may  refer  to  Job's  expressions  in  ch. 
X.  3,  &c. 

12.  —  the  sword  :  i.  e.  the  sword  of  divine  justice. 

13.  — treasure  up  wrath.  This  may  mean  that  they  retain  anger,  or 
persevere  in  the  exercise  of  angry  feelings,  or  that  they  treasure  up  the 
wrath  of  God  against  them.  See  Rom.  ii.  5.  —  when  he  bindeth  them  : 
i.  e.  bringeth  affliction  upon  them.     See  verse  8. 

14.  with  th'  U'tclean.     D'li'lpB.     See  Ges.  ad  verb. 

20.  — that  night:  i.  e.  tiic  iiiaht  of  death.  He  warns  him  against 
impatient  wishes  for  death,  and  mui-muring  ag.^inst  God. 

21.  But  let  thy  suiferin^s   teach   thee  ciiition,  and  m.ike  thee  afraid  to 


JOB.  267 

go  on  to  provoke  offended  justice  ;  for  thou  hast  done  it  too  much  already, 
in  choosing  rather  to  accuse  divine  Providence  than  to  submit  patiently  to 
his  chastisements.     Patrick. 

22.  Wlio  is  a  teacher  like  him  ?  t/c  y'an  ran  xar^  uvrhv  ^vvuanig  ; 
Sept.  El  nullus  ei  sitniiis  in  legislatoribus.  Vulg.  The  object  of  the 
remaining  purtion  of  Elihu's  disoouise  appeal's  to  be  to  convince  Job  of 
his  ignorance  of  the  ways  of  Providence,  by  his  ignorance  of  the  works  of 
creiition,  and  to  humble  him  for  finding  fault  with  what  he  did  not  and 
could  not   understand. 

24.  —  his  work :  i.  e.  that  which  he  does  in  the  natural  world,  accord- 
ing to  the  following  description.  —  celebrate  with  songs,  n'^ti'.     See  eh. 

xxxiii.;  27.  de  quo  cccinerunt  viri.  Vulg.  quod  laudaverunt  viri  Justi. 
Chald.     See  Schult.  and  Ges. 

27.  —  draweth  up  the  drops  of  water  :  i.  e.  by  means  of  the  sun,  which 
changes  water  into  vapor,  and  causes  it  to  ascend  into  the  air.  —  Which 
distil  rain  :  i.  e.  These  minute  particles  of  water,  drawn  up  by  the  sun 
in  the  form  of  vapor, /o/vn,  or,  more  literally,  pour  out,  rain. 

29.  And  the  rattling  of  his  pavilion :  i.  e.  the  thunder.  By  his 
pavilion,  or  tabernaclp,  the  clouds  are  intended.     See  Ps.  xviii.  1 1. 

30.  — his  light.  See  Ps.  civ.  2.  — And  he  clo'heth  himself  with  the 
depths  of  the'  sea  :  i.  e.  which  he  draws  up  to  heaven,  and  forms  into  the 
dark  clouds  which  are  his  habitation,     v^)^  is  to  be  supplied  from  the  pre- 

T  T 

ceding  line.  Comp.  ver.  32.  Otherwise,  And  he  covereth  the  bottom  of 
the  sea :  i.  e.  with  darkness.  The  power  of  God  in  the  highest  and  the 
lowest  regions  is  denoted. 

31.  By  these:  i.  e.  the  clouds,  rain,  &co. 

33.     His  thunder,  Sfc.      Lit.     His  noise   maketh    known    concerning 
him,    Yea,  to  the    herds  concerning  him,  who  ascendeth  on  high.      i.  e. 
the  thunder  proclaims  God  even  to  the  herds  as  he  ascends  in  the  tempest 
This  rendering  adopted  by  Ges.,  Hitzig,  and  De  Wette,  seems  closer  to  th 
original  than  any  previous    one.      Though  not    entirely  satisfactory,  i 
may  be  accepted  as  the  most  probable. 

Ch.  XXXVII.  1.  At  this,  i.  e.  the  thunder,  lightning,  &c.,  of  which 
he  was  speaking. 

2.  Hear,  8^c.  Some  suppose,  that,  while  Elihu  was  speaking,  thunder 
is  represented  as  bemg  heard,  and  the  tempest  as  begun,  from  which  the 
Deity  was  about  to  address  Job. 

4.     And  restraineth  it  not:  i.  e.    The  lightning. 

7.  He  sealeth  up,  ^c. :  i  e.  The  labors  of  the  field  are  interrupted  in 
consequence  of  these  heavy  and  continual  rains,  and  the  husbandmen 
remain  at  home,  with  their  hands,  as  it  were,  in  their  bosom.  — men  whom 


268  NOTES. 

he  hath  made:  lit.  men  of  his  work.  — may  acknowledge  him;  or  may 
have  knowledge  ;  viz.  of  their  dependence  upon  the*mighty  power  of  God  ; 
or,  that  it  is  he  who  commands  the  snow,  &c. 

9.  — the  South  :  lit.  the  secret  chamber.     See  ix.  9. 

10.  —  breath  of  God.  The  air  seems  to  have  been  regarded  as  put  in 
motion  by  the  breath  of  God,  and  hence  this  appellation  is  given  to  the 
wind,  here  a  cold  wind.  When  the  ice  is  formed,  the  water  is  regarded  as 
contracted  ;  or  what  remains  of  it  is  brought  into  a  narrower  compass. 
But  some  regard  the  parallelism  of  this  verse  as  antithetical,  and  suppose 
the  meaning  to  be  that  the  breath  of  God  forms  ice  by  cold  winds,  and 
dries  up  the  waters  by  hot  winds,  like  the  Simoon. 

12.  They  move  about :  i.  e.  The  clouds,  rain,  lightning,  &c. 

13.  Or  for  the  land:  i.  e  what  is  necessary,  in  the  course  of  nature, 
for  fertilizing  the  earth. 

16.  —  the  balancing  of  the  clouds  :  i.  e.  how  the  clouds  are  suspended 
in  the  air  in  such  a  variety  of  forms,  and  are  not  borne  to  the  ground  by  the 
weight  of  water  which  they  contain.  From  our  ignorance  of  the  works  of 
nature,  Elihu  infers  our  incapacity  of  judging  of  the  divine  counsels.  The 
same  kind  of  reasoning  is  pursued  in  the  Essay  on  Man  : 

Presumptuous  man  !  the  reason  wouldst  thou  find, 
Why  formed  so  weak,  so  little,  and  so  blind? 
Ask  of  thy  mother  earth,  why  oaks  were  made 
Taller  or  stronger  than  the  weeds  they  shade  ; 
Or  ask  of  yonder  argent  fields  above. 
Why  Jove's  satellites  are  less  than  Jove. 

18.  — firm  like  a  molten  mirror.  It  must  be  recollected  that  mirrors 
in  ancient  times  were  made  of  metal  highly  polished.  It  may  be  asked, 
what  conception  the  author  of  Job  entertained  respecting  the  sky,  which 
led  him  to  describe  it  as  firm  like  a  molten  mirror.  It  has  been  thought 
that  in  the  book  of  (lenesis  the  firmament,  or  blue  vault  of  heaven,  is 
represented  as  a  solid  surface,  in  which  the  stars  are  fixed  at  equal  dis- 
tances fi-om  the  earth.  The  chief  support  of  that  opinion  is,  I  think,  to  be 
derived  not  so  much  from  the  Hebrew  term  itself,  as  from  the  circum- 
Btance  that  a  body  of  waters,  like  a  sea  or  ocean,  seems  to  be  represented 
as  resting  upon  the  firmament,  which  God  made.  Comp.  Ps.  cxlviii.  4. 
The  Hebrew  iavm  y^'nr\,  firvmment,  may  denote  a  solid  body,  as  it  were, 

hammered  out,  or,  secondarily,  any  substance  spread  out.  See  Ges.  Lex. 
ad  verb. 

19.  Teach  us,  ^c.  This  seems  to  be  addressed  to  Job  ironically,  by 
way  of  reproof  for  his  presumption  ;  as  if  he  had  said,  Wc  should  like  to 
Icaru  from  you,  you  are  so  well  acquainted  with   the  character  and   pur- 


JOB.  269 

poses  of  God,  in  what  manner  we  should  address  him  or  discourse  with 
him.  —  darkness :  i.  e.  the  darkness  of  our  minds,  or  of  the  subject, 
or  both. 

20.  If  I  should  speak,  ^c. :  i.  e.  Will  any  one  venture  to  repeat  to  him 
my  discourses,  if  I  undertake  to  complain  of  the  ways  of  Providence  ?  If 
any  one  should  carry  my  complaints  to  his  ear,  he  would  certainly  be  de- 
stroyed for  his  rashness. 

21.  If  the  splendor  of  the  firmament,  illuminated  by  the  sun,  is  too 
bright  for  man  to  behold,  how  can  he  endure  the  glorious  majesty  of  its 
Author  ■? 

22.  Fro}n  the  North  corneth  gold.  This  is  the  literal  rendering ;  and, 
as  the  ancients  regarded  the  regions  of  the  North  as  the  peculiar  place  for 
gold,  Herod.  III.  116,  Plin.  Nat.  Hist.  6,  11,  33,  4,  we  n£ed  not  seek  a 
figurative  sense,  however  well  such  a  sense  might  meet  the  connection. 
It  is  rather  harsh  to  use  gold  to  denote  golden  brightness :  harsher  still  to 
make  the  North  denote  the  Northern  hemisphere,  or  sky.  The  idea  is 
that  men  can  find  out  where  gold  is  even  in  the  most  distant  regions,  and 
procure  it;  but  cannot  comprehend  God,  or  endure  his  majesty.  Comp. 
eh.  xxviii. 

23.  The  Almighty,  Sec.  This  sentiment  seems  to  be  the  conclusion  of 
the  whole  discourse  in  vindication  of  God.  We  know  but  very  little  of  his 
nature  and  designs,  and  it  is  wrong  to  censure  what  we  do  not  understand 
in  his  dispensations;  especially,  since  we  have  abundant  proof  of  his  jus- 
tice and  goodness.  — he  doth  not  oppress:  otherwise,  he  giveth  no  account 
of  his  doings,  Sj^c.     Instead  of  H^i?',  some  ancient  and  valuable  manuscripts 

read  T\yj''-     See  xxxiii.  13. 

24.  Upon  none  of  the  wise  in  heart  will  he  look:  i.  e.  who  confide  too  much 
in  their  wisdom.  I  prefer  the  present  rendering  of  this  ambiguous  line, 
because  it  better  suits  the  parallelism.  Otherwise,  Whom  none  of  the  wise 
in  heart  can  behold:  i.  e.  they  cannot  endure  the  brightness  of  his  majesty. 
See  Ros.  ad  loc. 


XXII. 

Whilst  Elihu  was  yet  speaking,  Jehovah  himself  is  represented  as  in- 
terposing, and  addressing  Job  from  the  midst  of  a  temnest.  He  does  not, 
however,  at  first,  address  him  in  the  language  of  encouragement  and  ap- 
probation, which  Job's  consciousness  of  integrity  had  led  him  to  anticipate. 
Job  had  defended  a  good  cause  in  an  improper  manner.  The  design  of 
this  discourse  of  the  Almighty  is,  therefore,  to  reprove  his  complaints  re- 


270  NOTES. 

sn','ctin<5  tlic  ways  of  Providence;  to  bring  him  into  a  proper  temper  of 
luiiid,  and  thus  to  prepare  the  way  for  his  final  vindication.  Jehovah 
does  not  condescend  to  explain  or  vindicate  the  ways  of  his  providence, 
but  aims  to  convince  Job  of  his  inability  to  judge  of  them.  He  requires 
him,  who  had  spoken  so  rashly  of  the  divine  counsels,  to  give  an  explana- 
tion of  some  of  the  works  of  nature  which  are  constantly  presented  to  his 
view ;  of  the  nature  and  structure  of  the  earth,  the  sea,  the  light,  and  the 
animal  kingdom.  If  he  were  unable  to  explain  any  one  of  the  most  com- 
mon phenomena  of  nature,  it  followed  that  he  was  guilty  of  great  presump- 
tion in  finding  fault  with  the  secret  counsels  and  moral  government  of  God. 
He  then  pauses  for  an  answer  from  Job. 

Ch.  XXXVIII.  2.  —  that  darlceneth  counsel:  viz.  my  counsels  or  pur- 
poses, i.  e.  speaketh  of  them  in  an  obscure,  erroneous,  and  improper  man- 
ner. Gesenius  supposes  that  to  darken  is  a  metaphorical  expression  for  to 
censure. 

7.  When  the  morning-stars,  Sec.  It  was  the  custom  to  celebrate  the 
laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  an  important  building  with  music,  songs, 
shouting,  &c.  See  Zech.  iv.  7;  Ezra  iii.  10,  11.  Hence  the  morning-stars 
are  represented  as  celebrating  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  the  earth. 
They  are  called  morning -^Xavs  on  account  of  the  greater  brightness  which 
they  have  just  before  the  dawn.  Some  suppose  that  moi-ning-stars  denote 
angels,  and  that  the  expression  has  the  same  meaning  as  sons  of  God  in  the 
next  line. 

12.  Hast  thou,  in  thy  life,  given  charge  to  the  morning,  ^'c.  The  transition 
from  the  sea  to  the  morning  is  not  so  abrupt  as  it  appears.  For  the  an- 
cients supposed  that  the  sun  sets  in  the  ocean,  and  at  his  rising  comes  oiJt 
of  it  again.  The  morning  and  day-spring  seem  to  mean  the  same  thing; 
and  the  regularity  of  the  appearance  of  the  morning  in  the  east  is  here  re- 
ferred to. 

13.  That  it  should  lay  hold,  Sfc.  The  first  light  of  the  sun,  as  it  strikes 
upon  the  verge  of  the  horizon,  is  represented  as  laying  hold  of  the  ends  of 
the  earth,  and  shaking  the  wicked  out  of  it,  as  dust  from  a  sack ;  light  being 
hostile  to  thieves  and  malefactors  of  every  kind,  as  darkness  is  favorable  to 
them.     See  ch.  xxiv.  14-  17. 

14.  It  is  changed,  ^c:  i.  e.  The  earth,  which  in  the  darkness  of  night  is 
a  mere  blank,  but  which,  when  illuminated  by  the  sun,  exhibits  a  great  vari- 
ety of  beautiful  objects,  and  appears  like  sealing-clay  which  has  received  the 
stamp  of  the  seal.  — And  all  things  stand  forth  as  in  rich  apparel.  See  Cocc. 
Comment.,  and  Ges.  upon  Ly-izS-  Otherwise,  And  they  (the  morning  and 
day-spring)  come  forth  as  a  garment  upon  it. 

15.  — their  light  is  withheld.  Darkness  is  the  light  of  the  wicked,  i.  e. 
that  which  enables   them   to   accomplish    their  evil    designs.      Thus    tho 


JOB.  271 

strength  and  courage  of  the  wicked  are  prostrated  by  the  light,  which 
discovers  their  evil  practices. 

17.  — gates  of  death:  i.  e.  of  hades,  the  under-world. 

19,  20.     For  similar  conceptions  see  Hesiod,  Theog,  748. 

24.  —  li(jht :  i.  e.  the  light  of  the  rising  sun,  which,  in  a  moment,  as  it 
were,  pervades  and  illuminates  the  whole  hemisphere. 

27.     The  word  j^i'D   probably  denotes  growth,   not  bud,  and  may  be 

omitted  in  the  connection.  Literally,  And  cause  the  growth  of  the  te^ider 
herb  to  spring  forth. 

31.  — fasten  the  b  mds,  SfC.  Here  niJlJ'D  is  !;upposed  to  be  by  metathe- 
sis the  same  as  nilj^^.O,  from  iJj;,  to  tie,  to  bind.  In  support  of  this  ren- 
dering, Ges.  observes  that  the  Asiatic  poets  often  speak  of  the  band  of  the 
Pleiades.     The  Sept.  has  it,  Stauor  ID.nuS.rz'  and  the  Chald.,  ""Tli^,  chains. 

—  the  Pleiads  (in  Hebrew,  Chimah :  i.  e.  a  heap,  a  term  corresponding 
to  what  we  call  a  cluster)  are  a  constellation  in  the  sign  Taurus,  and  make 
their  appearance  early  in  the  spring  ;  hence  they  were  called  by  the  Ro- 
mans Vergilice,  —  Orion  {Chesil,  in  Heb.,  i.  e.  the  fool,  or  impious  one) 
made  its  appearance  early  in  the  winter,  and  was  considered  the  precursor 
of  storms  and  tempests,  and  is  hence  called  by  Virgil  nimbosus  Orion. 
JEn.  I.  535.  According  to  the  rendering  sweet  influences,  as  in  the  com- 
mon version,  the  meaning  is.  Canst  thou  forbid  the  sweet  flowers  to  come 
forth,  when  the  Seven  Stars  arise  in  the  spring  ?  or  open  the  earth  for  the 
husbandman's  labor,  when  the  winter  season,  at  the  rising  of  Orion,  ties 
up  their  hands  ?  Patrick.  But  the  purport  of  the  questions  evidently  is 
to  ask  Job  whether  his  power  could  do  what  is  actually  done  by  the 
Almighty. 

32.  —  the  Signs.     nniD,  equivalent  to  mSiD,  lodgings,  viz.  of  the  sun, 

in  the  twelve  successive  months  of  his  course  ;  thus  denoting  the  twelve 
signs  of  the  zodiac.  —  the  Bear  with  his  sons.  Bear  is  not  the  literal 
meaning  of  the  Hebrew  B^"*^,  which  rather  denotes  a  bier,  which  is  the 

name  given  by  the  modern  Arabians  to  the  constellation  of  the  Great 
Bear.  They  also  call  the  three  stars  in  its  tail  daughters  of  the  bier.  Here 
these  three  stars  are  called  sons.  See  JViebuhr's  Description  of  Arabia, 
pp.  113,  114. 

33.  — ordinances  of  the  heavens :  i.e.  the  laws  regulating  the  places, 
motions,  and  operations  of  the  heavenly  bodies.  —  their  dominion  :  i.  e. 
the  influence  which  they  have  in  producing  the  changes  of  the  seasons. 

36.  The  transition  from  the  phenomena  of  the  heavens  to  the  mind  of 
man  appeared  so  great,  that  in  the  first  edition  I  departed,  with  others, 
from  the  usual  meaning  of  the  words,  rendering  this  verse,  Who  hath  im- 


272  NOTES. 

parted  understanding  to  clouds,  and  i/iven  to  miteors  intelVyence'?  the  words 
being  supposed  to  denoie  the  reguhuity  of  the  clouds  in  coniing  and 
going,  and  affording  the  due  proportion  of  rain  to  the  earth.  I  now  regard 
the  rendering  clouds  and  meteors  far  too  uncertain  to  be  adopted.  For 
nintD  plainly  denotes  reins,  in  Ps.  li.  8.  Besides,  if  we  suppose  the  ref- 
erence to  be  to  the  mind  of  Job  in  particular,  the  intelligence  with  which 
he  was  able  to  see  and  admire  all  the  phenomena  which  had  been  recounted, 
the  transition  will  not  appear  so  very  violent.  See  Ges.  Lex.  ad  verb. 
nJntO  and  ^nK'. 

37.  Who  numbereth  the  clouds,  Sfc.  The  collecting  and  arrangement  of 
the  clouds  are  expressed  by  a  metaphor  taken  from  a  civil  or  military  enrol- 
ment. See  Ps.  cxlvii.  4;  2  Sam.  xxiv.  10.  The  clouds  are  metaphorically 
called  bottles,  as  containing  rain. 

38.  — flows  into  a  molten  mass :  i.  e.  when,  on  account  of  the  copious  rains, 
the  dry  dust  melts,  as  it  were,  into  one  mass. 

41.  — the  raven.  Bochart  observes  that  the  raven  expels  his  young  Irom 
the  nest  as  soon  as  they  are  able  to  fly.  In  this  condition,  being  unable  to 
obtain  food  by  their  own  exertions,  they  make  a  croaking  noise;  and  God  is 
said  to  hear  it,  and  to  supply  their  wants. 

Ch.  XXXIX.  1,  — wild  goats:  i.  e.  the  ibex  or  mountain-goat.  It  is, 
no  doubt,  the  same  kind  of  goat  as  that  described  by  Burckhardt,  in  his 
Travels  in  Syria,  p.  571  :  "As  we  approached  the  summit  of  the  moun- 
tain, (St.  Catherine,  adjacent  to  Mount  Sinai,)  we  saw  at  a  distance  a 
small  flock  of  mountain-goats  feeding  among  the  rocks.  One  of  our  Arabs 
left  us,  and  by  a  widely  circuitous  route  endeavored  to  get  to  the  leeward 
of  them,  and  near  enough  to  fire  at  them;  he  enjoined  us  to  remain  in 
sight  of  them,  and  to  sit  down  in  order  not  to  alarm  them.  He  had  nearly 
reached  a  favorable  spot  behind  a  rock,  when  the  goats  suddenly  took  to 
flight  They  could  not  have  seen  the  Arab  ;  but  the  wind  changed,  and 
thus  they  smelt  him.  The  chase  of  the  beden,  as  the  wild  goat  is  called, 
resembles  that  of  the  chamois  of  the  Alps,  and  requires  as  much  enterprise 
and  patience," 

3.  —  their  pains :  i.  e.  their  young,  which  cause  their  pains. 

5.  The  following  account  of  the  wild  ass  is  given  in  Robinson's  Calmet, 
on  the  authority  of  the  Russian  professors,  Pallas  and*Gmelin:  "These 
animals  inhabit  the  dry  and  mountainous  parts  of  the  deserts  of  Great  Tar- 
tary,  but  not  higher  than  about  lat.  48°.  They  are  migratory,  and  arrive 
in  vast  troops  to  feed,  during  the  summer,  in  the  tracts  to  the  east  and 
north  of  the  sea  of  Aral.  About  autumn  they  collect  in  herds  of  hun- 
dreds, and  even  thousands,  and  direct  their  course  southward  towards 
India,  to  enjoy  a  warm  retreat  during  the  winter.     But  they  more  usually 


Joii.  2TiJ 

retire  to  Persia,  where  they  are  found  in  the  mountains  of  Casbin,  and 
where  part  of  them  i-emain  the  whole  year.  .  .  .  They  assemble  in  troopa 
under  the  conduct  of  a  leader  or  sentinel,  and  are  extremely  shy  and  vigi- 
lant. They  will,  however,  stop  in  the  midst  of  their  course,  and  even 
suffer  the  approach  of  man  for  an  instant,  and  then  dart  off  with  the 
utmost  rapidity.  They  have  been  at  all  times  celebrated  for  their  swift- 
ness.    Their  voice  resembles  that  of  the  common  ass,  but  is  shriller." 

"  Xenophon  says,  Cyrop.  Lib.  I.,  that  he  has  long  legs,  is  very  rapid  in 
running,  swift  as  a  whirlwind,  having  strong  and  stout  hoofs.  .  .  .  Martial 
gives  the  epithet  handsome  to  the  wild  ass,  *  Pulcher  adest  onager,'  L. 
xiii.,  Epig.  100  ;  and  Oppian  describes  it  as  'handsome,  large,  vigorous, 
of  stately  gait,  and  his  coat  of  a  silvery  color,  having  a  black  band  along 
the  spine  of  his  back  ;  and  on  his  flanks  patches  as  white  as  snow.'  Mr. 
Morier  says,  '  We  gave  chase  to  two  wild  asses,  which  had  so  much  the 
speed  of  our  horses,  that,  when  they  had  got  at  some  distance,  they  stood 
still  and  looked  behind  at  us,  snorting  with  their  noses  in  the  air,  as  if  in 
contempt  of  their  endeavors  to  catch  them.'  "    'Robinson^s  Calmet. 

9L  — the  wild-ox  :  Qn,  reem.  Otherwise,  the  rhinoceros.  See  Harris's 
Nat.  His.  p.  421.  According  to  others,  the  wild  oryx.  But  it  is  probable, 
from  the  nature  of  the  description,  that  an  animal  of  the  beeve  kind  is 
intended  ;  i.  e.  one  which  appears,  from  its  form  and  strength,  to  be 
qualified  to  do  the  business  of  the  tame  ox.  So  the  wild  ass  is,  by  impli- 
cation, compared  with  the  tame,  in  verse  7.  In  other  passages  where  it 
occurs,  it  is  parallel  with  animals  of  the  beeve  kind,  and  is  mentioned  as 
having  horns,  whereas  the  rhinoceros  has  but  one  short  one.  See  Numb, 
xxiii.  22,  xxiv.  8  ;  Deut.  xxxiii.  17  ;  Ps.  xxii.  21,  xxix.  6,  xcii.  10  ;  Is. 
xxxiv.  7.  For  other  arguments,  see  a  long  and  highly  satisfactory  article 
in  Robinson's  Calmet. 

13.  The  wing  of  the  ostrich  moveth  joyfully.  For  an  excellent  de- 
scription of  the  ostrich,  see  Harris's  Nat.  His.  p.  318.  Dr.  Shaw  ob- 
serves :  "  When  I  was  abroad,  I  had  several  opportunities  of  amusing 
myself  with  the  actions  and  behavior  of  the  ostrich.  It  was  very  divert- 
ing to  observe  with  what  dexterity  and  equipoise  of  body  it  would  play 
and  frisk  about  on  all  occasions.  In  the  heat  of  the  day,  particularly,  it 
would  strut  along  the  sunny  side  of  the  house  with  great  majesty.  It 
would  be  perpetually  fanning  and  priding  itself  with  its  quivering,  ex- 
panded wings,  and  seem,  at  every  turn,  to  admire  and  be  in  love  with  its 
own  shadow.  Even  at  other  times,  when  walking  about,  or  resting  itself 
on  the  ground,  the  wings  would  continue  their  fanning  and  vibrating 
motions,  as  if  they  were  designed  to  mitigate  and  assuage  that  extraor- 
dinary heat  wherewith  their  bodies  seem  to  be  naturally  affected."  — But 
is  it  with  loving  pinion  and  feathers  ?  This  is  the  most  literal  meaning, 
and  now  most  generally  received  by  commentators  on  Job.     The  allusion 

12* 


274  NOTES. 

IS  to  the  stork,  which  was  called  the  affectionate  or  loving  bird  on  account 
of  her  extreme  devotedness  to  her  young.  She  was  called  avis  pia  by 
the  Romans.  Bat  because  pia  is  a  good  representative  of  the  Hebrew 
m  on,  it  does  not  follow  that  ^ious  is;  as  some  translators  render  it. 

The  point  of  the  allusion  is,  that  the  ostrich,  which  resembles  the  stork 
so  much  in  the  structure  of  her  body  and  the  color  of  her  wings,  should  yet 
be  destitute  of  affection  for  her  young. 

14.  — she  layeth  her   eggs,  on   the  ground.     The  verb  :i'l_j?n  here  means, 

I  suppose,  to  commit  to  or  to  deposit  upon,  not  to  abandon  in.  The 
meaning  is,  that  the  ostrich,  instead  of  building  her  nest  on  some  high 
rock  or  tree,  like  other  birds,  deposits  them  upon  the  ground,  where  they 
are  exposed  to  the  view  of  every  traveller,  and  the  foot  of  every  wild  beast. 
—  She  warmeth  them  in  the  dust.  I  do  not  understand  the  meaning  to  be, 
that  she  abandons  her  eggs,  to  be  hatched  by  the  warmth  of  the  sun 
heating  the  sand  or  dust;  but  rather  that  she  broods  over  them  in  so  ex- 
posed a  place.  The  fact  is,  that  the  ostrich  usually  sits  upon  her  eggs  as 
other  birds  do ;  but  then  she  so  often  wanders,  and  so  far,  in  search  of 
food,  that  frequently  the  eggs  are  addle  by  means  of  her  long  absence  from 
them.  To  this  account  we  may  add,  when  she  has  left  her  nest,  whether 
through  fear,  or  to  seek  food,  if  she  light  upon  the  eggs  of  some  other 
ostrich,  she  sits  upon  them  and  is  unmindful  of  her  own.  The  Arabian 
poets  often  allude  to  this  peculiarity  of  the  ostrich.  The  following  is 
quoted  from  Nawabig  by  Schultens  : 

There  are,  who,  deaf  to  nature's  cries, 
On  stranger  tribes  bestow  their  food ; 
So  her  own  eggs  the  ostrich  flies. 
And,  senseless,  rears  another's  brood. 

"  Notwithstanding  the  stupidity  of  this  animal,"  says  Dr.  Shaw,  *'  its 
Creator  hath  amply  provided  for  its  safety,  by  endowing  it  with  extraor- 
dinary swiftness,  and  a  surprising  apparatus  for  escaping  from  its  enemy. 
'  They,  when  they  raise  themselves  up  for  flight,  laugh  at  the  horse  and 
his  rider.'  They  afforded  him  an  opportunity  only  of  admiring  at  a  dis- 
tiincc  the  extraoi'dinary  iigility,  and  the  stateliness,  likewise,  of  their 
motions,  the  richness  of  their  plumage,  and  the  great  propriety  there 
was  in  ascribing  to  them  an  expanded,  quivering  wing.  Noiliing, 
certainly,  Civn  be  more  entertaining  than  such  a  sight;  the  wings,  by 
their  rapid  but  unwearied  vibrations,  equally  serving  them  for  siils  and 
oars  ;  while  their  feet,  no  less  assisting  in  conveying  them  oul  of  sight, 
are  no  less  insensible  of  fatigue."     Travels,  8vo.  Vol  II.  p.  343. 

**  The  surprising  swiftness  of  the  ostrich  is  expressly  mentioned  by 
Xenophon  in  his  Anabasis;  for,   speaking  of   the  desert  of  Arabia,  he 


JOB.  275 

states  that  the  osta-ich  is  frequently  seen  there  ;  that  none  could  take 
them,  the  horsemen  who  pursue  them  soon  giving  it  over;  for  they  escaped 
far  away,  making  use  both  of  their  feet  to  run,  and  of  their  wings, 
when  expanded,  as  a  sail  to  waft  them  along."     Robinson^s  Calmet. 

In  regard  to  the  proverbial  stupidity  of  the  ostrich,  Dr.  Shaw  observes, 
that,  in  addition  to  her  neglect  of  her  young,  "  she  is  likewise  incon- 
siderate and  foolish  in  her  private  capacity,  particularly  in  the  choice  of 
food,  which  is  frequently  highly  detrimental  and  pernicious  to  it  ;  for  she 
swallows  everything  greedily  and  indiscriminately,  whether  it  be  pieces  of 
rags,  leather,  wood,  stone,  or  iron.  When  I  was  at  Oran,  I  saw  one  of 
these  birds  swallow,  without  any  seeming  uneasiness  or  inconveniency, 
several  leaden  bullets,  as  they  were  thrown  upon  the  floor,  scorching  hot 
from  the  mould."     Shaw's  Travels,  8vo.  Vol.  II.  p.  345. 

16.  She  is  cruel,  ^c.  "  On  the  least  noise  or  trivial  occasion,"  says 
Dr.  Shaw,  "  she  forsakes  her  eggs,  or  her  young  ones,  to  which  perhaps 
she  never  returns;  or  if  she  does,  it  may  be  too  late  either  to  restore  life 
to  the  one,  or  to  preserve  the  lives  of  the  others.  Agreeably  to  this 
account,  the  Arabs  sometimes  meet  with  "whole  nests  of  these  eggs  undis- 
turbed; some  of  them  are  sweet  and  good,  others  are  addle  and  corrupted; 
others,  again,  have  their  young  ones  of  different  growth,  according  to  the 
time,  it  may  be  presumed,  they  have  been  forsaken  of  the  dam.  They 
often  meet  with  a  few  of  the  little  ones,  no  bigger  than  well-grown 
pullets,  half-starved,  straggling  and  moaning  about,  like  so  many  dis- 
tressed orphans  for  their  mother."  Travels,  8vo.  Vol,  II.  pp.  344,  345. 
This  want  of  affection  is  also  recorded  in  Lam.  iv.  3.  —  Her  labor,  ^c. : 
i.  e.  in  laying  her  eggs.  The  ostrich  is  naturally  a  timid  bird,  but  it  is 
here  said  that  she  feareth  not :  i.  e.  she  has  no  affectionate  fear  for  her 
young;  she  abandons  her  nest  without  fears  of  what  may  happen  to  it. 

17.  —  hath  denied  her  wisdom.  The  Arabs  have  the  proverbial  expres- 
sion, More  foolish  than  an  ostrich. 

18.  —  lifteth  herself  up :  i.  e.  lifteth  up  her  head  and  body,  and  spread- 
eth  her  wings,  in  order  to  escape  the  pursuer.  The  expression  does  not 
imply  that  her  feet  quit  the  ground. 

19.  — horse.  The  whole  description  refers  to  the  horse  as  he  appears 
in  war.  —  Hast  thou  clothed  his  neck  with  his  trembling  mane'i  lam 
now  convinced  that  the  rendering  thunder  is  untenable.  The  neck  of  the 
horse  must  be  regarded  as  clothed  with  what  is  addressed  to  the  sense  of 
sight.  It  is  not  a  natural  metaphor  to  represent  the  neck  as  clothed  with  the 
sound  of  neighing  which  comes  from  the  mouth.  The  noise  made  by  the 
horse  is  referred  to  in  another  line,     HDI^I  denotes  trembling,  quivering, 

and  is  used  poetically  to  denote  the  mane  of  a  horse,  which  appears  to 
quiver  on  the  neck  of  a  high-bred  one  on  account  of  its. fatness,  or  which 
is  erect  and  trembles  in  the  excitement  of  running.     So  the  mane  of  a 


276  NOTES. 

horse  or  lion  is  in  Greek  called  ^^o/J?/.  See  Ges.  Lex.  ad  HD^.  Some  sup- 
pose trembling  to  denote  that  which  causes  trembling  in  the  spectator, 
i.  e.  terror.  But  this  is  harsh,  and  wholly  against  the  usus  loquendi  in 
Hebrew.  Umbreit  renders  the  line,  Hast  thou  clothed  his  neck  with  lofti- 
ness ?  supposing  the  word  PID^I  to  be  formed  from  the  Chald.  pjn,  equiva- 
lent to  the  Hebrew  ur\-     But  this  is  conjecture. 

20.  Howmajestic  his  snorting !  how  terrible !  There  may,  at  first  view, 
appear  something  ludicrous  in  speaking  of  the  majestic  snorting  of  a 
horse.  But  let  one  conceive  of  the  war-horse,  and  suppose,  moreover,  that 
he  has,  or  will,  come  against  him  in  war,  and  the  associations  will  be  dif- 
ferent. It  is  to  be  recollected,  too,  that  the  horse  was  peculiarly  an  object 
of  terror  to  the  Hebrews,  on  account  of  their  ignorance  of  horsemanship. 
See  Is.  xxxvi.  8,  and  the  note.     Jeremiah  says,  ch.  viii.  16, 

From  Dan  is  heard  the  snorting  of  their  horses. 
At  the  sound  of  the  neighing  of  their  steeds  the  whole  land 
trembleth. 

See  Virg.  Georg.  III.  85,  &c.    ^n.  X[.  496. 

24.  — he  devoureth  the  ground.  This  expression  is  still  used  in  Arabia 
to  denote  prodigious  swiftness.  See  also  Virg.  Georg.  III.  143.  He  will 
not  believe,  Sfc,  i.  e.  he  is  so  full  of  joy  when  he  hears  the  sound  of  the 
trumpet  that  he  scarcely  trusts  his  ears.     Comp.  ix.  10;  xxix.  24. 

26.  — towards  the  south.  Most  of  the  species  of  hawks  are  said  to  be 
birds  of  passage.  The  instinct  which  teaches  such  birds  to  know  the 
proper  time  for  migrating  in  search  of  food,  or  of  a  warmer  climate,  or 
both,  is  probably  referred  to. 

29    —  discern  it  from  afar.     See  Iliad,  xvii.  674  : 

—  oioT*  aitrbg,  ov  i^u  rt  (paalv 
' O^traTov  dfQxfO&ai  vtcovquvloiv  nsTsyjvaiv. 

As  the  bold  bird ,  endued  with  sharpest  eye 
Of  all  that  wing  the  mid  aCrial  sky.         Pope. 


JOB.  277 


XXIII.,  XXIV. 


The  Almighty  is  now  represented  as  pausing,  and  demanding  of  Job  an 
answer  to  his  questions,  and  inviting  him  to  defend  his  cause.  But  the 
admonitions  of  Elihu  and  of  the  Almighty  have  produced  their  proper 
effect;  Job  is  impressed  with  the  most  profound  reverence  of  the  majesty 
of  God ;  he  has  lost  that  boldness  and  presumption  with  which  he  once 
challenged  the  Almighty  to  a  controversy;  and  he  acknowledges  his  weak- 
ness, and  the  rashness  of  his  complaints,  and  bold  appeals  to  God.  But 
to  make  his  submission  and  penitence  more  complete  and  impressive,  the 
Almighty  is  represented  as  addressing  him  in  a  still  severer  tone  of  re- 
prehension. In  reference  to  his  boldness  in  desiring  to  enter  into  a  con- 
troversy with  him,  the  Deity  challenges  him  to  emulate  a  single  exertion 
of  the  Divine  power.  He  adds  the  description  of  the  river-horse  and  the 
crocodile,  by  which  his  power  is  strikingly  illustrated.  From  the  whole 
discourse  it  follows,  that  it  is  better  for  man  to  submit  without  murmuring 
to  the  will  of  so  great  a  Being,  than  to  contend  with  him,  and  require  him 
to  give  an  account  of  his  doings. 

Ch.  XL.  15.  —  the  river-horse.  This  animal  is  usually  mentioned  by 
the  ancients  in  connection  with  the  crocodile,  which  is  supposed  to  be 
denoted  by  the  leviathan.  The  description  seems  to  apply  to  the  river- 
horse  rather  than  to  the  elephant,  in  several  particulars,  which  are  well 
stated  by  Herder.*  *'  In  general,  the  description  is  undoubtedly  that  of 
an  animal  whose  usual  resort  is  the  river,  since  it  is  introduced,  as  some- 
thing singular,  that  he  eateth  grass  like  the  ox,  that  vte  mountains  bring 
him  forth  food,  and  the  beasts  of  the  field  play  around  him.  He  sleeps 
among  the  reeds,  and  lies  concealed  among  the  marshes  on  the  shore  of  the 
river,  which  clearly  does  not  suit  a  description  of  the  elephant.  He  goes 
against  the  stream,  as  if  he  would  drink  up  the  river  with  his  enormous 
mouth,  a  character  not  well  fitting  a  land-animal.  His  strength  too  is  in 
his  loins,  and  his  force  is  in  the  navel  of  his  belly,  where,  on  the  contrary, 
the  elephant  is  weakest.  He  that  made  him  has  furnished  him  with  a 
sword ;  for  the  sharp-pointed  and  projecting  tusks  of  the  hippopotamus 
may  be  considered  his  weapons;  and  the  language  applies  better  to  these 
than  to  the  weapons  of  the  elephant.     Since,  moreover,  the  name  behemoth 

*  Spirit  of  Hebrew  Poetry,  Vol.  I.  p.  107,  Marsh's  Translation. 


278  NOTES. 

itself  is  probably  the  Egyptian  name  of  this  animal,  p-ehe-mouth,  (river- 
ox,)  here  modified,  as  all  foreign  words  were  by  the  Hebrews  and  Greeks, 
to  suit  their  own  forms,  and  since,  in  company  with  the  crocodile,  it  is 
placed  apart  from  the  land-animals,  which  also  are  arranged  in  a  separate 
discourse  by  themselves,  aad  represented,  as  all  creatures  of  the  watery 
realm  are  by  the  Orientals,  as  something  foreign  and  monstrous,  it  seems 
to  me  that  this  opinion  has  at  least  a  balance  of  probabilities  in  its  favor, 
and  will  soon  become  the  prevailing  one."  See  Robinson's  Calmet,  Art. 
Behemoth,  where  is  an  interesting  description,  extracted  from  the  Travels 
of  Riippell,  the  German  naturalist,  of  the  capture  of  one  of  these  animals, 
which  measured  from  the  snout  to  the  end  of  the  tail  fifteen  feet;  and  his 
tusks  from  the  root  to  the  point,  along  the  external  curve,  twenty-eight 
inches.  See  also,  in  Dr.  Shaw's  Travels,  Vol.  ii.  p.  294,  or  Montfaucon's 
Antiquities,  Vol.  vii.  p.  476,  an  engraving  of  the  mosaic  pavement  at  Prae- 
neste,  in  which  the  river-horse  and  crocodile  are  placed  in  company,  the 
former  being  in  the  midst  of  reeds  and  fens, and  plants,  which  correspond 
to  the  descriptions  of  the  Egyptian  lotus. 

17.  — like  the  cedar.  "  The  tail  of  the  hippopotamus,  although  short, 
is  thick,  and  may  be  compared  with  the  cedar  for  its  tapering,  conical 
shape,  and  its  smoothness,  thickness,  and  strength.  But  although  it  is 
thick,  short,  and  very  firm,  yet  he  moves  and  twists  it  at  pleasure;  which 
is  considered,  in  the  sacred  text,  a  proof  of  his  prodigious  strength." 
Scheuchser. 

19.  —  fiis  sword.  This  refers  to  the  long,  bending  teeth  of  the  animal, 
with  which  he,  as  it  were,  mows  the  grass.  The  aQur],  i.  e.  the  sickle,  or 
scythe,  was  ascribed  to  this  animal  by  some  of  the  ancient  Greek  writers. 
Thus  Nicander,  Theriac.  ver.  566,  quoted  by  Ros.  : 

"H  ltctiov,  tov  Nsikog  vntQ  ^uCv  ai-9^aX6t(faav 
lioaxd,  aqovqririiY  ^£  y.axi^v  intfiaXXtjai  aQTit}V, 

In  the  next  verse  the  reason  of  his  being  furnished  with  it  is  given,  viz. 
that,  although  he  was  an  aquatic  animal,  he  procured  his  food,  not  from 
the  rivers,  but  from  the  grassy  mountains. 

21.     It  has  been  doubted  whether  D''bxV  denotes  the  lote-tree,  Rhamnus 

lotus,  Linn.,  or  the  lote-plant,  the  Egyptian  water4ily,  which  grows  in 
the  water,  or  in  places  overflowed  by  water.  See  note  on  ver.  15,  and. 
Wilkinson's  Customs  and  Manners,  &c.  Vol.  III.  p.  71. 

23.  —  Jordan  :  i.  e.  a  river  as  large  as  the  Jordan;  for  the  river-horse 
could  not  have  lived  upon  the  Jordan.  Undoubtedly,  the  author  under- 
stood, that,  like  the  crocodile,  he  was  found  upon  the  Nile.  He  mentions 
the  Jordan  as  an  instance  of  a  great  river  ;  and  it  seems  to  be  an  argu- 


JOB.  279 

ment  that  the  writer  was  a  native  of  Palestine,  and  wrote  for  those  who 
were  familiar  with  the  Jordan,  that  he  mentions  it  as  an  instance  of  a 
great  stream.  The  overflowiiig  of  it  would  not  frighten  the  river-horse, 
because  he  was  amphibious. 

Ch.  XLI.  1.  — the  crocodile.  See  note  on  ch.  iii.  8.  The  crocodile  is 
liere  described  in  the  hyperbolical  style  of  Eastern  poetry.  See  Harris's 
Nat.  Hist,  p.  245.  The  following  description  of  the  crocodile  is  from 
Shaw's  Zoology,  Vol.  III.  p.  184  :  "The  crocodile,  so  remarkable  for  its 
size  and  powers  of  destruction,  has  in  all  ages  been  regarded  as  one  of  the 
most  formidable  animals  of  the  warmer  regions.  It  is  a  native  of  Asia 
and  Africa,  but  seems  to  be  most  common  in  the  latter;  inhabiting  large 
rivers,  as  the  Nile,  the  Niger,  &c.,  and  preying  principally  on  fish,  but 
occasionally  seizing  on  almost  every  animal  which  happens  to  be  exposed 
to  its  rapacity.  The  size  to  which  the  crocodile  sometimes  arrives  is  pro- 
digious ;  specimens  being  frequently  seen  of  twenty  feet  in  length;  and 
instances  are  commemorated  of  some  which  have  exceeded  the  length  of 
thirty  feet.  ^  The  armor,  with  which  the  upper  part  of  the  body  is  covered 
may  be  numbered  among  the  most  elaborate  pieces  of  Nature's  mechanism. 
In  the  full-grown  animal  it  is  so  strong  and  thick  as  easily  to  repel  a 
musket-ball.  The  whole  animal  appears  as  if  covered  with  the  most 
regular  and  curious  carved  work.  The  mouth  is  of  vast  width,  the  gape 
having  a  somewhat  flexuous  outline,  and  both  jaws  being  furnished  with 
very  numerous,  sharp-pointed  teeth.  The  number  of  teeth  in  each  jaw  is 
thirty  or  more,  and  they  are  so  disposed  as  to  alternate  with  each  other, 
when  the  mouth  is  closed.  The  legs  are  short,  but  strong  and  muscular. 
In  the  glowing  regions  of  Africa,  where  it  arrives  at  its  full  strength 
and  power,  it  is  justly  regarded  as  the  most  formidable  inhabitant  of  tlje 
rivers.  It  lies  in  wait  near  the  banks,  and  snatches  dogs  and  other 
animals,  swallowing  them  instantly,  and  then  plunging  into  the  flood,  and 
sacking  some  retired  part,  where  it  may  be  concealed,  till  hunger  again 
invites  it  to  its  prey."  —  Or  press  down,  ^c.  :  i.  e.  Canst  thou  put  a  cord 
into  his  mouth,  so  as  to  draw  him  with  it  as  with  a  bridle  ?    See  Ges.  upon 

2.  —  a  rope  —  a  ring  :  i.  e.  by  which  he  might  be  fastened  to  the  land, 
after  he  was  caught. 

5.  — for  thy  maidens  :  i.  e.  for  their  amusement. 

6.  — lay  snares  for  him  ?  ^c. :  i.  e.  Do  the  fishermen  in  company  catch 
him,  and  sell  him  like  fish  ? 

8.  Th'iu  wilt  no  more  think  of  battle :  i.  e.  thy  first  attack   on   the 
monster  will  have  such  an  issue,  that  thou  wilt  not  dare  to  try  a  second. 

9.  Behold,  his  ho/^e  :  The  third  person  for  the  second.     The  meaning  is, 


280  NOTES. 

Thy  hope  (of  taking  him)  is  vain.  See  ch.  xxxii.  15,  and  note.  See  also 
Glass.  Phil.  Sac.  pp.  318,  647.  Ed.  Dath.  ^ 

13.  — his  garment :  i.e.  his  skin.  — his  jaws:  lit.  his  double  bridle, 
"which  his  jaws  resembled. 

1 5.  —  shields  :  i.  e.  scales. 

ly.  —  eyelashes  of  the  morning.  This  may  happen,  says  Schultens, 
when  the  crocodile  lifts  his  head  above  water  in  the  night.  His  staring 
eyes,  which  are  the  first  object  that  strikes  the  beholder,  may  then  be  com- 
pared to  the  dawning  light.  The  eyes  of  the  crocodile  are  said  to  be  small. 
But,  as  Bochart  observes,  they  are  so  remarkable,  that,  when  the 
Egyptians  would  represent  the  morning  by  a  hieroglyphic,  they  painted  a 
crocodile's  eye. 

19-22.  Here  the  crocodile  is  described  as  in  pursuit  of  his  prey  on 
land.  His  mouth  is  then  open,  his  blood  inflamed,  his  breath  thrown  out 
with  prodigious  vehemence,  like  volumes  of  smoke,  and  heated  to  such  a 
degree  as  to  seem  a  flaming  fire.  Strength  and  Terror  are  represented  as 
animated  beings,  the  one  seated  on  his  neck,  and  the  other  bounding 
before  him. 

20.  —  heated  :   Lit.  blown  up. 

23.  — flakes  :  i.  e.  the  pendulous  parts  of  his  flesh. 

26.  —  doth  not  hold :  i.  e.  will  not  pierce  him  and  remain  fixed  in  him, 
but  is  repelled  and  beaten  back  by  the  excessive  hardness  of  his  skin. 

30.  —  potsherds.  His  scales  are  compared  to  fragments  of  broken 
earthen   vessels.  — thrashing-sledge.  V?*in.     His   outer   skin,    or   coat  of 

mail,  is  represented  as  rough  and  pointed  like  a  thrashing-sledge.  This 
was  an  instrument  for  rubbing  or  beating  out  grain  upon  the  thrashing- 
floor.  It  consists  of  three  or  four  rollers  of  wood,  iron,  or  stone,  made 
rough,  and  joined  together  in  the  form  of  a  sledge  or  dray;  and  is  drawn 
by  oxen  over  the  grain  in  order  to  separate  the  kernels  from  the  ear. 
See  Ges.  ad  verb. 

32.  —  shining  path :  viz.  the  white  foam  which  he  stirs  up  in  his 
passage  through  the  water. 

34.  He  looketh  down,  SfC. :  i.  e.  Although  a  reptile,  he  is  not  afraid  of 
the  fiercest  wild  beasts. 


JOB.  281 


XXV.,  XXVI. 


Job  is  now  repi'esented  as  impressed  with  a  deep  sense  of  his  presump- 
tion and  irreverence  in  his  former  discourses,  and  expressing  his  penitence 
in  the  strongest  terms  of  self-condemnation.  The  way  is  thus  prepared 
for  the  vindication  of  the  integrity  and  piety  of  Job  by  the  Deity,  and 
consequently  for  the  decision  of  the  question  which  had  been  the  great 
subject  of  controversy.  The  Almighty  decides  that  the  friends  of  Job 
had  7iot  spoken  that  which  was  right,  in  contending  that  the  misery  of  Job 
was  inflicted  by  God  as  the  punishment  of  his  sins;  and  that  Job  had 
spoken  the 'truth,  in  maintaining  that  no  man's  character  can  be  ascertain- 
ed by  his  external  condition.  He  confirms  his  decision  by  restoring  him 
to  his  former  prosperity. 

-  Ch.  XLII.  3.  Who  is  he,  SfC.  This  is  repeated  from  ch.  xxxviii.  2, 
where  the  question  is  asked  by  the  Deity.  As  if  Job  had  said,  Alas  !  who 
is  it,  as  thou  sayest,  that  hideth,  itc.     I  am  the  presumptuous  man. 

4.  I  will  ask  thee,  4"C.  I  will  no  more  dispute  and  endeavor  to  con- 
tend with  thee  with  the  pride  of  an  equal,  but  inquire  of  thee  with  the 
humility  of  a  scholar.  The  words  which  Jehovah  had  spoken  to  Job  by 
way  of  challenge,  ch.  xxxviii.  3,  and  xl.  7,  Job  uses  in  the  spirit  of  deep 
submission. 

5.  — hearing  of  the  ear — eye  seen.  This  may  mean  only,  that  Job 
had  a  much  more  perfect  knowledge  of  the  Deity  than  befoi'e,  as  knowl- 
edge which  is  gained  by  seeing  is  proverbially  more  accurate  and  thorough 
than  that  which  comes  to  us  by  the  report  of  others.  It  is  said  that 
Jehovah  spake  from  the  whirlwind,  but  no  visible  form  is  mentioned. 

6.  —  /  abhor  mi/self:  i.  e.  on  account  of  my  former  rash  speeches 
respecting  thee.  The  general  meaning  will  not  be  altered  if  we  supply 
"  it  "  instead  of  myself  as  the  object  of  the  verb. 

7.  —  ye  have  not  spoken  concerning  me  that  ivhich  is  right,  as  hath  my 
servant  Job.  This  language  is  to  be  understood  comparatively,  for  Job 
has  just  been  censured  for  rashly  complaining  of  the  ways  of  God;  and  it 
is  to  be  understood  relatively,  i.  e.  with  reference  to  the  main  subject  of 
discussion.     They  had  not  spoken  right,  in  maintaiuing  that  misery  ia 


2S2  NOTCS     ON     JOB. 

always  a  proof  of  guilt,  and  in  condemning  an  apparently  upright  and 
good  man,  merely  because  he  was  afflicted.  They  had  not  spoken  so  well 
in  supporting  such  a  proposition,  and  in  heaping  unmerited  reproach  upon 
a  good  man,  as  Jol)  had  in  denying  the  proposition,  and  in  maintaining 
his  innocence.     See  Introduction,  p.  15. 

10.  — turned  the  capfioily,  ^c. :  i.e.  delivered  him  fr.m  his  distress, 
and  restoi'ed  to  him  his  former  prosperity. 

11.  — a  kesitu  —  a  riiuj  of  gold  :  i.  e.  as  tokens  of  regard.  This  pro- 
bably denoted  a  lump  of  silver  of  a  certain  weight.  Gesenius,  from  a 
comparison  of  Gen.  xxxiii.  19,  xsiii.  16,  supposes  it  to  be  about  4  shekels. 

14.  The  names  of  Job's  daughters  have  reference  to  their  loveliness; 
Jemima  denoting  dove,  or,  as  some  suppose, /air  as  the  day  ;  Kezia,  cassia; 
and  Kerenhappuch,  horn  of  beautiful  paint,  i.  e.  beautiful  as  those  whose 
persons  are  adorned  to  the  utmost  extent. 

15.  — among  their  brethren.  This,  being  contrary  to  custom,  is  men- 
tioned for  the  purpose  of  showing  the  extent  of  Job's  wealth,  as  well  as 
the  excellence  of  his  daughters.     See  Numb,  xxvii.  8. 


NOTES   ON  ECCLESIASTES. 


1.  The  term  Ecdesiastes  is  the  Greek  translation  of  the  Hebrew 
fl^npj  Koheleth,  which  is  the  title  of  the  book.     The  word  Preacher 

conveys  the  meaning  of  the  original  as  well  as  any  English  term. 
The  Greek  rendering,  Ecdesiastes,  is  the  more  literal,  as  the  Hebrew 
noun  is  derived  from  a  verb  signifying  to  call  together,  to  assemble ;  and 
the  secondary  meaning,  preacher,  comes  from  the  purpose  for  which  the 
assembly  is  called,  namely,  to  be  addressed.  As  no  son  of  David  was 
king  at  Jerusalem  except  Solomon,  there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt 
that  he  is  designated  as  the  Preacher,  in  reference  to  the  contents  of 
the  book  which  is  here  ascribed  to  him.  As  to  the  feminine  form,  Kohe- 
lethf  it  is  supposed  by  Hitzig,  Furst,  and  others,  to  have  been  originally 
applied  to  ivisdom,  regarded  as  calling  around  her  the  lovers  of  instruc- 
tion, as  in  Prov.  i.  20,  viii.  1,  ix.  1,  and  transferred  to  Solomon  as  the 
embodiment  of  wisdom.  Gesenius  regards  the  term,  thus  put  in  the 
feminine,  as  a  name  denoting  office,  according  to  a  common  Hebrew 
idiom.  The  former  view  is  not  so  satisfactory  as  it  would  have  been  if 
any  instance  had  been  adduced  in  which  wisdom  was  actually  called 
Koheleth.     I  leave  the  matter  doubtful. 

In  ch.  i.  2-11,  the  Preacher  announces  the  principal  subject  of  his 
book,  the  vanity  of  human  things,  and  illustrates  it  by  the  unprofitable- 
ness of  human  striving  and  labor,  ver.  3 ;  and  by  the  instances  of  per- 
petual change  and  wearisome  vicissitude  in  the  natural  world,  wliile 
nothing  new  is  brought  to  pass,  and  no  rest  is  attained.  In  endeavor- 
ing to  illustrate  the  idea,  that  the  mind  of  man  receives  no  satisfaction 
from  his  labors  and  experiences,  the  writer  seems  to  impart  his  own 
feelings  to  inanimate  nature,  and  to  represent  it  as  wearying  itself  with 
incessant  change,  without  effecting  any  tiling  new ;  as  it  were,  without 
satisfying  itself,  or  gaining  any  thing  by  its  labors.    All  is  perpetual 

[283] 


284  NOTES. 

change,  wearisome  labor,  and  no  rest.  Tlie  sea  is  not  made  full  by  the 
streams,  and  the  mind  of  man  is  not  satisfied  by  all  wMch  it  learns  or 
enjoys  in  the  world. 

Knobel  regards  the  reference  to  the  sun,  the  wind,  and  the  streams 
as  designed  to  show  the  fruitlessness  of  human  efforts,  in  consequence 
of  the  unchangeableness  of  nature's  operations,  and  the  impossibility 
of  man's  altering  what  is  fixed  by  an  established  law  of  nature.  But 
tl;e  author  seems  to  describe,  not  the  constancy  of  nature,  but  of  her 
changes.  Besides,  the  mere  constancy  of  outward  nature  does  not 
seem  to  present  a  strong  reason  against  human  striving  in  general, 
but  only  against  striving  in  opposition  to  natural  laws. 

2.  Vanity  of  vanities;  i.e.,  mere  vanity,  extreme  vanity. 

3.  What  profit;  i.e.,  what  advantage  Avhich  can  compensate  him 
for  his  labor,  and  leave  a  balance  in  his  favor  1  Or,  what  advantage 
which  he  would  not  have  had  without  anxious  and  laborious  striving? 

4.  One  generation,  &c.  Some  connect  this  verse  with  the  preceding 
one,  supposing  it  to  illustrate  the  vanity  of  human  exertions,  from  the 
consideration  that  man  at  death  must  leave  the  results  of  them.  It 
appears  to  me  more  natural  to  suppose,  that  the  writer  adduces  the  fact 
of  the  continually  changing  generations  of  men  as  an  illustration  of  the 
vanity  of  human  things. 

7.  —  to  the  place,  &c. ;  i.e.,  by  subterraneous  passages  and  channels, 
or  by  evaporation  and  rain,  they  return  to  the  fountains  and  streams.  It 
is  mentioned  as  an  instance  of  the  vanity  of  human  things,  that'the 
waters,  when  they  have  arrived  at  the  sea,  where  they  had  so  much 
desired,  as  it  were,  to  arrive,  hasten  back  to  their  springs,  where  again 
they  do  not  rest,  but  return  again  to  the  sea.  "  Thus  all  things  in  the 
world  are  movable  and  mutable,  and  subject  to  a  continual  toil  and 
toss,  constant  in  nothing  but  inconstancy,  still  going,  never  resting." 

8.  All  words  become  icearij.  This  is  the  most  literal  rendering,  and 
most  probable  from  the  connection.  Otherwise,  All  things  are  full  of 
labor ;  all  other  things,  as  well  as  the  sun,  the  wind,  and  the  streams, 
are  in  perpetual  motion  and  wearisome  agitation.  There  is  no  rest  to 
material  things,  and  no  satisfaction  to  the  mind  of  man.  —  express  it; 
i.e.,  the  subject  of  the  preceding  and  following  verses,  namely,  the  per- 
petual changes  of  things  without  novelty  or  improvement. 

9.  The  thing  that  hath  been,  &c.  The  writer  seems  to  regard  it  as  an 
additional  illustration  of  the  vanity  of  human  things,  that,  while  there 
is  perpetual  change,  there  is  no  novelty  ;  that  there  is  a  perpetual  re- 
currence of  the  same  things.  The  passage  seems  to  express  the  feeling 
of  satiety  and  disgust  with  which  human  life  is  sometimes  regarded. 


ECCLESIASTES.  285 

The  following  passage  from  Seneca,  Epist.  XXIV.,  is  quoted  by  Rosen- 
miiller  to  illustrate  these  verses :  "  Quosdam  subit  eadem  tiiciendi 
videndique  satietas,  et  vitae  non  odium,  sed  fastidium ;  in  quod  pro- 
labimur,  ipsa  impellente  philosophia,  dum  dicimus  :  Quousque  eadem  1 
Nempe  expergiscar,  dormiam,  satiabor,  esuriam,  algebo,  aestuabo  ;  nul- 
lius  rei  finis  est ;  sed  in  orbem  nexa  sunt  omnia ;  ftigiunt  ac  sequuntur. 
Diem  nox  premit,  dies  noctem  ;  aestas  in  autumnum  desinit,  autumno 
hyems  instat,  quae  vere  compescitur.  Omnia  transeunt,  ut  revertan- 
tur ;  nihil  novi  video ;  nihil  novi  facio.  Fit  aliquando  et  hujus  rei 
nausea.  Multi  sunt  qui  non  acerbum  judicent  vivere,  sed  super- 
fluum." 

10.  It  hath  been,  &c. ;  i.e.,  if  any  one  supposes  any  thing  which  takes 
place  to  be  new,  he  is  deceived.  For  it  certainly  has  occurred  long 
before. 

11.  —  no  remembrance.  A  reason  seems  to  be  assigned  here  why 
some  esteem  things  new  which  are  really  old ;  namely,  ignorance  of 
ancient  times,  want  of  records  of  the  past. 

12-18.  Having  illustrated  his  declaration,  that  all  was  vanity,  by 
general  arguments,  drawn  from  the  phenomena  of  the  world,  the  au- 
thor now  represents  Solomon  as  appealing  to  his  own  experience  as  an 
additional  illustration  of  what  he  had  said.  And,  first,  from  ver.  13  to 
the  end  of  the  chapter,  he  aims  to  show  how  vain  and  unsatisfactory 
are  the  pursuit  and  acquisition  of  knowledge.  The  fame  of  Solomon 
for  wisdom  makes  his  example  a  striking  illustration  of  the  sentiment 
which  it  is  brought  to  illustrate. 

13.  —  an  evil  business,  &c. ;  i.e.,  a  source  of  pain  and  vexation. 
Knowledge  seems  to  be  thus  represented,  1.  On  account  of  the  labor 
and  weariness  which  attend  its  pursuit,  ch.  xii.  12;  but,  2.  chiefly, 
on  account  of  the  perplexing,  imperfect,  painful  subjects  of  contem- 
plation which  it  presents  to  the  mind,  ver,  14,  15,  Dr.  South,  in  his 
Sermon  on  the  Evils  of  Knowledge,  observes :  "  Knowledge  is  tlie 
parent  of  sorrow  from  its  very  nature,  as  being  the  instrument  and 
means  by  which  the  afflicting  quahty  of  the  object  is  conveyed  to  t!ie 
mind ;  for,  as  nothing  delights,  so  nothing  troubles,  till  it  is  known. 
The  merchant  is  not  troubled  as  soon  as  his  ship  is  cast  away,  but  as 
soon  as  he  hears  of  it.  The  affairs  and  objects  that  we  converse  with 
have  most  of  them  a  fitness  to  afflict  and  disturb  the  mind.  And,  as  the 
colors  lie  dormant  and  strike  not  the  eye  till  the  hglit  actuates  them 
into  a  visibility,  so  those  afflictive  qualities  never  exert  their  sting,  till 
knowledge  displays  them,  and  slides  them  into  the  apprehension," 
But  if  good  predominates  over  evil  in  the  universe,  (and  who  can  doubt 


286  NOTES. 

if?)  then  knowledge,  regarded  in  this  light,  must  be  the  source  of  more 
pleasure  than  pain." 

14.  —  all  the  things,  &c. ;  i.e.,  I  saw  that  all  human  pursuits,  all  the 
business  in  which  men  engage,  and  all  the  objects  from  which  they  ex- 
pect happiness,  were  vain,  unsubstantial,  incapable  of  yielding  satis- 
faction to  the  mind.  In  fact,  the  desire  and  endeavor  to  catch  and 
possess  something  so  intangible  and  unsubstantial  as  air  represent  the 
vanity  of  human  actions  and  pursuits.  —  striving  after  icind.  This  ren- 
dering is  preferred  by  Gesenius,  De  Wette,  Rosenmiiller,  and  Knobel. 
(Comp.  ver.  17,  and,  in  the  Hebrew,  ch.  ii.  22;  iv.  16.) 

15.  The  design  of  the  proverbial  expressions  in  this  verse  seems  to 
be  to  assign  a  reason  why  human  stiiving  should  be  vain,  and  human 
pursuits  should  be  so  incapable  of  affording  satisfaction;  namely,  the 
perverseness  of  human  nature,  and  the  imperfections  of  human  things. 
As  that  which  is  by  nature  crooked  cannot  by  human  endeavors  be 
straightened ;  as  the  vine,  for  instance,  cannot  be  made  to  grow  up 
straight,  like  the  poplar;  and  as  that  which  is  naturally  wanting  to  any 
thing  cannot  be  supplied  by  human  exertion ;  for  instance,  as  man 
cimnot  be  made  to  possess  wings,  like  a  bird,  or  more  than  two  hands 
or  two  feet ;  so  there  are  incongruities,  discords,  imperfections  in  hu- 
man life  and  the  course  of  human  things,  which  are  irremediable,  and 
render  it  impossible  for  man  to  find  complete  satisfaction.  Hence,  the 
knowledge  of  the  things  that  are  done  under  the  sun  gives  pain. 

17.  —  senselessness  and  folly ;  i.e.,  to  observe  senseless  and  foolish 
conduct,  and  its  consequences. 

18.  See  the  note  on  ver.  13.  Henry  closes  his  notes  upon  this  chap- 
ter with  the  following  good  remark  :  "  Let  us  not  be  driven  off  from 
tho  i)ursuit  of  any  useful  knowledge,  but  put  on  patience  to  break 
through  tlie  sorrow  of  it ;  yet  let  us  despair  of  finding  true  happiness 
in  this  knowledge,  and  expect  it  only  in  the  knowledge  of  God,  and 
the  careful  discliarge  of  our  duty  to  him.  Ue  that  increases  in  heav- 
enly wisdom,  and  in  an  experimental  acquaintance  with  the  principles, 
powers,  and  pleasures  of  the  spiritual  and  divine  life,  mcrmses  joy,  such 
as  will  shortly  be  consummated  iu  everlasting  joy." 

Ch.  II.  1-2G.  Not  having  found  happiness,  or  the  chief  good,  in 
the  pursuit  and  acquisition  of  knowledge,  Solomon  is  represented 
in  this  chapter  as  seeking  it  in  the  pleasures  of  sense,  united  with  the 
pursuits  of  knowledge  or  philosophy.  The  result  of  this  pursuit,  1-11. 
He  then  compares  wisdom  and  folly,  and,  wliile  asserting  the  infinite 
superiority  of  the  former,  yet  perceives  its  insufficiency  in  regard  to  the 


ECCLESIASTES.  28T 

attainment  of  happiness.  For  the  wise  man  and  the  fool  have  a  com- 
mon lot,  and  a  fool  often  enjoys  that  for  wliich  a  wise  man  fatigues 
himself,  12-23.  He  then  recommends  the  tranquil,  contented,  cheer- 
ful enjoyment  of  life's  blessings,  without  anxiety  and  care  about  dis- 
tant objects  and  perplexing  subjects,  24-26. 

2.  It  is  mad;  i.e.,  it  is  an  indication  of  madness;  more  appropriate 
to  a  madman  than  to  a  rational  being.  —  What  availeth  it  ?  i.e.,  what 
good  does  it  do  ?  what  happiness  does  it  confer  1  At  first  view,  there 
may  appear  some  inconsistency  between  this  and  ver.  24.  But  here 
the  author  is  speaking  of  the  pleasure  which  is  pursued  and  striven 
for ;  but,  in  ver.  24,  of  that  which  comes  unsought. 

3.  —  strengthen,  &c.  So  Gesenius.  If,  with  Fiirst  in  his  Lexicon, 
we  suppose  ll'I-'JO  to  mean  to  bestow  protracted  care   upon,  or  to  nurse, 

the  sense  will  be  nearly  the  same.  —  while  my  heart  cleaved  to  wisdom. 
(Comp.  ver.  9.)  Some  suppose  the  meaning  to  be,  that  he  was  wise 
in  the  choice  of  pleasures,  and  in  the  degree  to  which  he  pursued  them. 
I  rather  think  the  meaning  to  be,  that  he  united  the  pursuits  of  wis- 
dom or  philosophy  with  the  pleasures  of  the  senses.  —  see  what  was 
good,  &c. ;  i.e.,  till  I  should  find  out  by  trial  whether  that  supreme  good 
which  men  ought  to  propose  to  themselves  and  prosecute  in  life  con- 
sisted in  the  pleasures  of  sense ;  i.e.,  in  pleasures  derived  from  objects 
addressed  to  the  senses. 

6.  — pools  of  water.  "At  about  an  hour's  distance  to  the  south  of 
Bethlehem  are  the  pools  of  Solomon.  They  are  three  in  number, 
of  an  oblong  figure,  and  are  supported  by  abutments.  The  antiquity 
of  their  appearance  entitles  them.  Dr.  Richardson  thinks,  to  be  con- 
sidered as  the  work  of  the  Jewish  monarch.'^  Modern  Traveller. 
(See  more  in  Bush's  Illustrations  ad  loc.)  Maundrell  observes: 
"  As  to  the  pools,  it  is  probable  enough  they  may  be  the  same  with 
Solomon's  ;  there  not  being  the  like  store  of  excellent  spring-water  to 
be  met  with  anywhere  else  throughout  all  Palestine.  But,  for  the  gar- 
dens, one  may  safely  affirm,  that,  if  Solomon  made  them  in  the  rocky 
ground  which  is  now  assigned  for  them,  he  demonstrated  greater  power 
and  wealth  in  finishing  his  design,  than  he  did  wisdom  in  choosing  the 
place  for  it."  Travels,  p.  151,  Amer.  edit.  —  the  grove  that  jwoduceth 
trees;  young  plantations,  or  perhaps  nurseries,  may  be  intended. 

8.  —  a  chosen  woman,  and  chosen  women.  The  words  thus  rendered 
do  not  elsewhere  occur.  From  their  probable  derivation,  as  well  as 
from  the  circumstance  that  the  harem  is  nowhere  alluded  to  as  a 
source  of  pleasure,  if  not  here,  we  think  we  have  given  the  words  their 


288  NOTES. 

true  meaning.  The  singular  probably  refers  to  the  queen,  and  the 
plural  to  the  king's  other  wives  and  his  concubines.  (See  Gesen.  ad 
verb,  mtli.) 

T     • 

10.  —  my  poHion,  &c. ;  i.e.,  the  present  temporary  enjoyment  of 
them  was  all  the  benefit  I  could  expect  or  receive  from  all  my  labors. 
There  was  no  permanent,  abiding  good. 

11.  All  that  he  did  was  performed  with  labor  and  preserved  with 
anxiety ;  and,  above  all,  the  pleasure  arising  from  it  was  transitory. 
After  the  freest  enjoyment  of  what  is  called  pleasure,  he  felt  the  inward 
thirst  and  torment  still. 

12.  Having  tried  what  satisfaction  was  to  be  found,  first  in  knowl- 
edge and  then  in  the  pleasures  of  sense,  he  here  compares  these  two 
sources  of  happiness  one  with  another,  and  passes  judgment  upon 
them.  —  Cometh  after  the  Icing ;  i.e.,  succeeds  me  in  this  inquiry  or  trial 
respecting  happiness.  No  mere  private  man  can  be  expected  to  have 
a  larger  experience  than  so  great  a  king,  or  be  better  able*to  form  a 
judgment  respecting  the  subject  of  which  he  is  treating.  —  already 
done,  i.e.,  in  the  way  of  experience  and  discovery  as  to  what  is  true 
good. 

14.  —  in  his  head;  where  they  ought  to  be,  in  order  that  he  may 
guard  against  danger  or  foresee  advantages.  The  eyes  of  the  fool  are, 
as  it  were,  in  his  heels,  or  in  the  ends  of  the  earth  (Prov.  xvii.  24),  so 
that  he  is  likely  to  stumble  or  fail  of  advantages.  —  one  event,  &c. ;  i.e., 
both  are  subject  to  many  of  the  same  calamities,  and  especially  to  death 
and  oblivion. 

15.  —  iviser  than  otheis ;  i.e.,  to  what  purpose  have  I  taken  so  much 
pains  to  acquire  wisdom.  —  This  also  is  vanity ;  i.e.,  Although  wisdom 
excels  folly,  yet  it  is  liable  to  the  charge  of  vanity,  since  it  has  no 
power  to  secure  its  possessor  from  many  of  the  calamities  to  which 
the  fool  is  subject. 

18.  —  leave  it ;  i.e.,  what  was  obtained  by  my  labor,  my  posses- 
sions. 

24.  —  to  eat  and  drink,  and  let  his  soul  enjoy  good  in  his  labor.  The 
drift  and  meaning  of  this  language  is  very  diiferent  from  that  of  ch. 
ii.  1,  &c.  It  is  no  Epicurean  indulgence,  no  addiction  to  the  mere 
pleasures  of  sense,  which  the  author  here  pronounces  to  be  the  best 
course  a  man  can  pursue  in  order  to  make  the  best  of  a  vain  world. 
But,  in  opposition  to  the  anxious  and  strenuous  pursuit  of  wisdom  or 
pleasure  or  wealth,  he  advises  to  give  up  anxious  cares  for  distant 
objects  and  about  perplexing  subjects,  and  to  enjoy,  with  a  tranquil, 


ECCLESIASTES.  289 

contented,  cheerful  mind,  the  blessings  of  life,  as  he  goes  along.  And 
this  tranquil,  contented,  cheerful  spirit,  he  says,  is  the  gift  of  God,  i.e., 
"  to  those  who  are  good  in  his  sight,"  ver.  26 ;  i.e.,  it  cannot  be  had 
without  religion  and  virtue.  This  is  an  important  sentiment  of  the 
book,  and  recurs  repeatedly  as  the  result  of  the  author's  meditations 
upon  Ufe.  (See  ch.  iii.  12,  13,  22;  v.  18-20;  vii.  14;  viii.  15;  ix.  7-10; 
xi.  9.)  From  a  comparison  of  these  passages,  together  with  ch.  v. 
1-7,  and  the  whole  of  ch.  xii.,  it  is  manifest  that  it  is  not  mere  sen- 
sual or  selfish  indulgence  which  the  author  commends  as  the  best  thing 
which  a  man  can  attain  in  a  world  of  vanity,  but  only  such  a  cheerful, 
joyful  participation  of  present  blessings  as  is  consistent  with  the 
thought  of  God  and  retribution,  or  with  obedience  to  the  commands 
of  the  Creator.  The  cheerfulness  and  the  joy  which  he  commends  is 
in  opposition  to  anxious  cares  about  the  future  or  about  unavoidable 
evils,  or  to  the  ambitious,  eager  pursuit  of  distant  good. 

25.  For  who  can  eat,  &c.  The  meaning  seems  to  be,  that  Solo- 
mon, from  his  large  experience,  could  tell  as  well  as  any  one 
whether  "  to  eat  and  drink,  and  let  one's  soul  enjoy  good  in  his 
labor,"  did  or  did  not  come  from  the  hand  of  God  ;  whether  those 
who  were  not  ''good  in  his  sight"  could  have  such  enjoyment. 
Instead  of  more  tlmn  I,  ^)yp)2  f  ^H  might  be  translated  except  I; 
i.e.,  I  who  have  labored  for  it.  —  who  can  hasten  [thereunto],  &c. 
The  plain  and  common  meaning  of  "idin  is  to  hasten,  and  hence  to 

he  eager.  It  is  elsewhere  used  to  qualify  another  word.  (See  Ps. 
xxii.  20 ;  cxix.  60. )  I  cannot  find  that  in  the  later,  more  than  in  the 
ancient  Hebrew,  it  means  to  enjoy  one's  self,  or  to  enjoy  pleasure,  as  Stu- 
art and  others  have  it.  Buxtorf,  in  his  Lex.  Chaldaicum  et  Talmudi- 
cum,  says  that  it  means  simply  to  perceive,  and  that  the  noun  "tT^n  de- 
notes the  five  senses.  But  to  perceive  pleasure  or  enjoyment  is  another 
thing.    The  conjectural  reading,  ^2;^!0  in  place  of  ^1^12)  as  making  the 

meaning  to  be,  who  can  eat,  &c.,  without  him,  i.e.,  without  God,  is  unne- 
cessary, and  therefore  inadmissible. 

26.  For  —  Godgiveth,  &c.  "  For  this  is  a  blessing  which  God  reserves 
for  him  whom  he  loves ;  whose  sincere  piety  he  rewards  with  wisdom 
to  judge  when,  and  with  knowledge  to  understand  how,  he  should 
enjoy  and  take  the  comfort  of  all  that  he  hath ;  especially  with  inward 
joy,  satisfaction  of  heart,  and  tranquilhty  of  mind,  in  this  favor  of  God 
to  him,  whereby  the  troublesome  affairs  of  this  life  are  tempered  and 
seasoned :  but  he  delivers  up  liim  that  regards  not  God  to  the  most 

13 


290  NOTES. 

cruel  tormentor^,  which  are  his  unsatiable  desires  and  anxious  cares, 
with  busy  labors  and  incessant  pains  to  increase  his  estate  without  end, 
and  to  heap  up  vast  treasures,  wliicli  God  disposes  afterward  to  those 
who  approve  themselves  to  him  in  a  pious,  just,  and  charitable  life, 
with  contented  minds."  Patrick.  —  good  in  his  sight,  &c.  That  this 
refers  to  tlie  moral  cliaracter  is  evident,  not  only  from  its  contrast  with 
fi^l2in>  which  usually  means  sinner,  and  never  simply  odious  or  offensive ; 
but  also  from  vii.  26,  and  especially  viii.  12,  13,  where  the  same  two 
characters   are   contrasted,   and   wliere    iit^irij  sinner,   is   defined   by 

'$^  \T^'$}  evil-doer,  and  contrasted  with  those  who  fear  God.     (See  also 

ix.  2.)  To  say  with  Stuart,  following  Hitzig,  that  "  good  in  his  sight'* 
here  means  "  one  who  is  regarded  witli  favor,"  seems  to  me  quite 
arbitrary.  —  This  also  is  vanity ;  i.e.,  to  the  sinner,  to  get  riches  for 
those  for  whom  he  never  designed  them.  Some  suppose  the  meaning 
to  be,  that  "to  eat  and  drink,  and  enjoy  good  from  all  his  labor," 
(ver.  24),  is  "vanity,  and  striving  after  wind."  This  seems  to  me 
harder  than  to  refer  it  to  a  subordinate  part  of  the  sentence,  as  I  have 
done. 

Ch.  III.  1-15.  The  design  of  this  passage  seems  to  be  to  show 
the  vanity  of  human  efforts  and  anxieties  respecting  the  future,  in  con- 
sequence of  tlie  fixed  course  and  established,  unavoidable  changes  of 
human  things.  A  higher  power  than  man's  controls  human  efforts 
and  destinies.  Hence,  a  quiet  enjoyment  of  hfe  is  recommended  as 
true  wisdom. 

1.  — a  Jixed  period,  &c.  — appointed  time.  This  does  not  mean  a ^"< 
season,  an  appropriate  time,  when  men  may  and  ought  to  do  the  things 
therein  mentioned,  and  which,  if  neglected,  will  not  again  recur.  For 
this  meaning  will  not  apply  to  several  of  the  subjects  which  are  enu- 
merated in  the  following  verses.  What,  for  instance,  is  the  appropriate 
time  to  kill  or  to  hate"?  The  author  is  speaking,  I  conceive,  not  oisijit 
time,  an  appropriate,  opportune  season,  but  of  a  necessary  change,  a  pe- 
riod that  must  recur.  Every  thing  remains  but  for  a  time.  Every  con- 
dition soon  passes  away.  Nothing  is  stable  and  enduring.  The 
thought  is  somewhat  similar  to  that  Avliich  is  contained  in  the  prover- 
bial expression,  that  "  all  things  have  their  day." 

3.  —  to  kill.  In  ver.  1,  natural  death  was  spoken  of;  liere,  that 
which  comes  by  violence,  as  by  robbers,  assassins,  or  by  course  of  law, 
or  by  accident.     —  to  break  down,  &c.     At  one  time,  buildings  are  de* 


ECCLESIASTES.  291 

stroyed  in  war,  or  by  hurricanes,  floods,  or  conflagrations ;  at  another, 
new  edifices  are  erected  in  their  place. 

4.  —  to  weep,  &c.  Tliere  are  changes  in  life,  such  as  sickness,  loss 
of  relations,  &c.,  moving  us  to  tears,  which  are  succeeded  by  others 
effacing  the  memory  of  trouble,  and  leading  to  joy.  —  to  mourn,  &c. 
Tliis  may  be  distinguished  from  weeping,  as  being  a  formal,  public 
expression  of  grief,  as  dancing  is  of  joy. 

5.  —  to  cast  stones  asunda' ;  as  in  the  case  of  edifices,  fortifications, 
&c.,  which  fall  into  ruin ;  or  they  are  brought  together  for  building 
new  walls,  &-c.  —  to  embrace,  &c. ;  i.e.,  a  time  when  we  embrace  oui 
friends  after  a  long  absence,  and  a  time  when  they  are  again  absent 
from  us.  Or,  possibly,  a  time  when  we  live  in  friendship  with  any 
one,  and  a  time  when,  by  change  of  pursuits  or  character,  we  become 
estranged  from  him. 

6.  —  to  keep,  &c. ;  i.e.,  from  attachment  to  the  object,  or  expecta- 
tion of  benefit  from  it.     —  to  cast  away ;  i.e.,  as  worthless. 

7.  —  to  rend;  as  in  great  and  sudden  grief,  as  Gen.  xxxvii.  29;  Joel 
ii.  13.  —  to  sew;  i.e.,  when  the  grief  is  over  ;  or,  perhaps,  making  new 
garments  on  some  occasion  of  joy.  — silence;  when  men  will  keep 
silence  through  grief,  sickness,  &c. 

8.  —  to  love.    Love  is  often  followed  by  hatred. 

9.  What  profit,  &c.  What  can  his  utmost  efforts  to  obtain  good 
or  avoid  evil  avail,  while  there  is  such  a  system  of  vicissitude  and 
change  by  the  appointment  of  Providence  ^ 

10.  —  the  labor ;  i.e.,  the  labor  of  the  human  mind  in  endeavoring 
to  explore  the  ways  of  God  in  the  government  of  the  world,  and  the 
appointment  of  the  various  vicissitudes  of  human  life. 

11.  —  maketh  every  thing  good  in  its  time.  The  meaning  seems  to  be, 
that  every  thing  which  takes  place  in  the  course  of  providence,  by 
Divine  appointment  or  permission,  is  right ;  so  that,  aU  things  consid- 
ered, it  could  not  have  been  done  better,  ver.  14  ;  and  would  appear 
so,  if  viewed  in  relation  to  its  season,  tendencies,  and  relations  :  — 

"  And  spite  of  pride,  in  erring  reason's  spite, 
One  truth  is  clear,  Whatever  is,  is  right." 

—  but.  For  this  use  of  the  Hebrew  particle,  see  ch.  iv.  16.  —  but 
he  hath  put  the  world  into  the  heait  of  man,  so  that  he  understandeth  not,  &c. 
The  translation  and  interpretation  of  this  passage  are  attended  with 
much  difficulty ;  first,  on  account  of  the  ambiguity  of  the  Hebrew  term 
C^b,  rendered  icorld,  and,  secondly,  on  account  of  the  Hebrew  negative 

T 

particles;  whether  both  have  their  separate  force,  or  whether  they 


292  NOTES. 

unite  their  force  to  form  one  negative.  The  Hebrew  term,  in  all  othei 
instances  in  which  it  occurs  in  the  Scriptures,  denotes  duration,  indefi 
nite  duration,  whether  past  or  future,  and  sometimes  eternal  duration ; 
but  in  the  Chaldee  and  Rabbinic  usage,  the  world,  worldly  things,  like  the 
Greek  aluv,  in  Eph.  ii.  2;  Heb.  i.  2;  xi.  3  (see  also  Buxtorf's  Lex. 
Chald.  et  Talm.,  especially  on  t:^i5>);  i.e.,  things  which  exist  in  a 

given  period  of  duration,  more  or  less  definite.  K  we  suppose  this 
rendering  correct,  and  that  there  is  but  one  negation  in  the  sentence, 
according  to  the  Common  Version,  which  I  foUoAv,  the  meaning  will  be, 
that,  according  to  the  same  idiom  by  which  he  is  said  to  harden  the 
heart  of  Pharaoh,  God  has  put  the  cares,  or  the  love,  of  the  world  into  the 
hearts  of  men ;  so  that  they  cannot  discern  the  propriety  and  the  beau- 
tiful harmony  of  his  dispensations,  and  cannot  understand  the  whole 
that  he  does  in  his  providence  from  beginning  to  end,  but  only  a  part 
of  it.     Others  give  to  the  term  cbis'  a  signification  more  nearly  allied 

to  the  common  meaning,  and  render  the  passage.  And  God  hath  put 
fatarity  or  duration  into  the  heart  of  man;  i.e.,  the  capacity  of  looking 
back  upon  tlie  past,  and  forward  into  the  future,  except  that  he  cannot 
understand  the  tvork  which  God  doeth  from  the  beginning  to  the  end ;  i.e.,  God 
has  given  man  the  capacity  of  looking  back  upon  the  past  and  forward 
into  the  future,  but  not  in  such  a  measure  or  degree  that  he  can  under- 
stand the  work  of  God  from  beginning  to  end.  This  seems  to  me  to 
be  strained,  to  make  eternity  mean  a  capacity  to  look  into  eternity.  Others 
resort    to   the   Arabic,   making    n^I>    mean   understanding  or  reason; 

translating,  "  He  hath  put  intelligence  in  their  heart,  without  which  no 
man  can  find  out  tlie  work  which  God  doeth  from  beginning  to  end." 
So  Stuart  and  Fiirst,  following  Hitzig.  But  to  this  there  are  two 
objections,  of  which  the  first  is  decisive  with  me.  1.  There  is  a  great 
abundance  of  words  in  Hebrew  to  denote  intelligence,  insight,  reason 
Why,  then,  should  the  writer  use  an  Arabic  word  1  2.  Though  I  am 
not  such  a  reader  of  Arabic  as  to  be  able  to  afllrm  that  C^b  never 

T 

means  reason  or  inteUigence  in  that  language,  I  can  say  that  there  is  no 
such  meaning  assigned  to  it  in  Freytag's  Lexicon ;  but  only  that  of 
learning,  art,  and  science,  in  the  objective  sense,  as  the  science  of  phys- 
ics, theology,  &e.  (See  Freytag,  iii.  p.  213.)  As  to  the  double  nega- 
tive contained  in  i<p  nrbi  "^^^^j  every  one  knows  the  general  rule  in 
Hebrew  to  be,  that  two  negatives  strengthen  the  negation.  (See 
Gesen.  Grammar,  §  152.)     It  seems  to  rae  that  Hitzig's  remarks  are 


ECCLESI ASTES.  293 

by  no  means  conclusive  against  the  construction  wliicli  I  liave  adopted, 
being  that  of  the  Common  Version  and  of  most  scholars.  Besides,  the 
translation  of  Hitzig  and  Mr.  Stuart  gives  a  sentiment  in  opposition  to 
the  current  of  the  whole  book  and  of  other  writers  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. According  to  these  critics,  the  meaning  is,  that  without  intelli- 
gence or  reason  "  no  man  can  find  out  the  work  which  God  doeth  from 
beginning  to  end."  Surely  it  needed  no  Solomon  to  tell  us  that.  But 
is  it  the  doctrine  of  the  Preacher,  or  of  the  Book  of  Job,  or  of  any 
sacred  writer,  that  with  reason  "  a  man  can  find  out  the  work  that  God 
doeth y}wtt  beginning  to  end"  1  (See  viii.  17,  already  cited  ;  i.  17, 18 ;  iv. 
1-3  ;  Job  xxxvii,;  xxxviii.)  The  main  design  of  the  passage,  which- 
ever explanation  may  be  adopted,  is  illustrated  by  ch.  viii.  17  :  "  Then 
I  saw  the  whole  work  of  God,  that  a  man  cannot  comprehend  that 
which  taketh  place  under  the  sun :  how  much  soever  he  labor  to  search 
it  out,  yet  shall  he  not  comprehend  it ;  yea,  though  a  wise  man  resolve 
to  know  it,  yet  shall  he  not  be  able  to  comprehend  it." 

12.  —  e'yoy  good.     (Comp.  ch.  ii.  24,  and  the  note.) 

13.  —  gift  of  God;  i.e.,  "  to  him  that  is  good  in  his  sight.  (See  the 
note  on  ch.  ii.  24.) 

14.  —  whatever  God  doeth.  The  context  seems  to  require  this  to  be 
understood  as  referring  to  the  course  of  things  under  the  Divine  gov- 
ernment, rather  than  to  the  works  of  creation.  It  sets  forth  the  per- 
fection and  uniformity  of  his  conduct  in  the  government  of  the  world. 
— for  ever ;  i.e.,  is  unalterable.  Patrick  has  given  a  good  paraphrase  of 
the  verse  :  "  It  is  not  only  very  foolish  and  vain,  but  a  great  plague,  to 
be  discontented  that  things  go  otherwise  than  we  desire ;  for  certain  it 
is,  God  hath  settled  them  by  such  an  eternal  and  immutable  law,  in 
that  course  and  order  before  described,  ver.  1-3,  &c.,  in  which  nothing 
is  superfluous,  nothing  wanting,  that  it  is  not  in  the  power  of  man  to 
make  the  least  alteration  one  way  or  other;  therefore  we  must  alter 
ourselves,  and  not  murmur  that  we  cannot  change  the  course  of  things, 
which  God  hath  thus  immovably  fixed,  not  to  make  us  miserable,  by 
fretting  at  it,  but  happy,  by  reverent  submission  to  the  Divine  govern- 
ment, and  humble  patience  under  those  troubles  which  we  cannot  hon- 
estly avoid,  and  a  due  care  not  to  offend  the  Divine  majesty,  whose 
will  shall  be  done,  one  way  or  other,  if  not  by  us,  yet  upon  us." 

15.  — recalleth  that  which  is  past;  i.e.,  he  repeats  it;  makes  the 
future  resemble  the  past,  and  substantially  the  same  Avith  it,  so  that 
there  shall  be  '•'nothing  new  under  the  sun."  "  This  alone  is  sufficient 
to  silence  all  our  unprofitable,  as  well  as  undutiful,  complaints  about 
that  which  hath  always  been  and  ever  will  be.   For  we,  in  tliis  present 


294  NOTES. 

age,  are  subject  to  no  other  laws  than  those  by  whicli  God  hath  gov- 
erned the  world  fi'om  the  beginning;  nor  will  the  next  i)roduce  any 
other  method  than  that  wherein  he  hath  already  proceeded :  but, 
though  that  which  succeeds  thrusts  out  what  went  before,  it  brings  the 
very  same  things  about  again,  as  constantly  as  spring  and  fall,  sum- 
mer and  winter,  return  in  their  seasons."     Patrick. 

16-22.  The  vanity  of  human  things  is  illustrated  in  this  passage 
from  the  prevalence  of  injustice,  and  the  resemblance  of  men  to  brutes 
in  respect  to  hardships  and  death.  Hence  the  usual  inference  of  the 
writer,  that  man  should  lead  a  quiet,  cheerful  life,  without  anxiety  con- 
cerning the  unknown  future. 

16.  —  in  the  place  of  justice;  i.e.,  where  justice  ought  specially  to 
be,  where  rulers  or  judges  professed  to  administer  justice.  The  mean- 
ing may,  however,  be  more  general,  referring  to  justice  between  man 
and  man.  The  fact  to  which  he  refers  seems  to  be  introduced  as  a 
new  instance  of  the  vanity  of  humart  things. 

17.  — a  time;  i.e.,  of  judgment.  — hath  he  appointed.  This  ren- 
dering is  obtained  merely  by  changing  the  diacritic  point,  reading 
ia  for  U:.  (Comp.  ch.  xii.  14;  xi.  9;  Dan.  vii.  9,  10;  Job  xix.  29.) 
It  is  a  question  whether  the  judgment  or  retribution  here  spoken  of 
was  expected  by  the  writer  to  take  place  in  the  present  or  in  the  future 
world.  From  the  context,  ver.  18-21,  and  from  other  passages  in  the 
book,  I  think  it  most  probable  that  the  present  life  was  exclusively  in 
his  view.  The  passage  in  Daniel,  above  referred  to,  is  a  good  illustra- 
tion of  a  time  of  judgment ;  for  undoubtedly  it  relates  to  a  judgment  iu 
the  present  world.  So  the  Book  of  Job,  ch.  xix.  29,  contains  men- 
tion of  a  judgment,  although  the  plan  and  the  contents  of  that  work 
exclude  the  idea  of  a  retribution  after  death.  If  the  Preacher  had  held 
a  belief  in  a  state  of  retribution  after  death,  his  taith  must  have  been 
manifested  in  other  parts  of  the  work,  and  applied  to  the  solution  of 
the  doubts  and  diflficulties  relating  to  the  course  of  human  things  which 
perplexed  him.  It  seems  to  me  certain  that,  if  the  Preacher  had  be- 
lieved in  a  future  state  of  righteous  retribution,  he  could  never  haAe 
written  such  a  book  as  this.  "  Life  and  immortality  were  brought  to 
light  by  the  gospel."  The  phrase,  will  judije  the  righteous  and  the  wicked, 
means  will  acquit  and  deliver  the  righteous,  and  condemn  and  punish 
the  wicked. 

19.  — one  spirit  in  them;  i.e.,  the  spirit  of  life.  (Comp.  ch.  viii. 
8;  xii.  7;  Judges  xv.  19;  1  Sam.  xxx.  12;  Ezek.  xxxvii.  8;  Hab.  ii. 
19.)  Sometimes  this  vital  spirit  is  called  the  spirit  or  breath  of  God,  as 
having  been  imparted  by  him,  breathed  by  him  into  the  nostrils  of 


ECCLESIASTES.  295 

men,  and  as  returning  to  liim  again.  (See  Job  xxvii.  3.)  In  Job 
xxxiv.  14,  lie  is  said  to  take  hack  his  spirit,  when  men  die.  (Comp.  Ps. 
civ.  29,  30.)  From  a  comparison  of  the  preceding  references,  it  will 
appear,  that,  according  to  Hebrew  usage,  the  return  of  the  spirit  to 
God  denotes  simply  death,  and  not  a  return  to  a  state  of  happy  existence 
with  God  after  death. 

21.  — whelher  it  f^oeth  iipivard,  &c.  This  is  the  rendering  of  the 
Septuagint  and  all  the  ancient  versions,  as  also  of  the  Geneva  Version, 
and  of  Luther.  It  appears  to  agree  better  with  the  Hebrew  idiom,  and 
with  the  connection,  than  that  of  the  common  version.  The  term  spirit 
in  this  verse  is  the  same  in  tlie  original  as  in  ver.  19,  where  it  is  said 
tliat  one  spirit  is  in  men  and  brutes.  In  both  cases,  I  understand  it  as 
denoting  the  animal  or  vital  spirit.  It  seems  to  me  improbable,  that, 
in  a  sentence  so  closely  connected  with  ver.  19,  tliere  should  be  any 
change  in  the  meaning  of  the  term  spirit,  especially  as  it  is  here  ap- 
plied to  brutes  as  well  as  to  men,  and  as  the  spirit  of  all  mankind,  the 
bad  as  well  as  the  good,  seems  to  be  spoken  of  in  comparison  with  that 
of  brutes.  The  Preacher  seems  to  me  to  express  a  doubt,  whether  man, 
whom  he  represents  to  be  like  the  brutes  in  many  respects,  differs  from 
them  in  this,  that  the  spirit  of  men  ascends  upward,  or  returns  to  God, 
and  that  of  brutes  goes  downward,  or  mingles  with  dust.  I  do  npt  un- 
derstand him  to  refer  to  the  personal,  conscious  immortality  of  either; 
for,  in  ver.  19,  he  says,  "  One  lot  befalls  both.  As  the  one  dies,  so 
dies  the  other.  Yea,  there  is  one  spirit  in  them,  and  a  man  has  no  pre- 
eminence above  a  beast."  The  doubt  is,  whether  the  vital  spirit  of 
man  is  more  honorably  disposed  of  after  death  than  that  of  a  brute. 
In  ch.  xii.  7,  it  is  true,  he  positively  afl^rms  that  the  spirit  of  man 
"  shall  return  to  God."  But  it  is  not  very  probable  that  he  doubts  here 
what  he  afl&rms  there.  The  doubt  is,  whether  any  different  disposition 
is  made  of  the  soul  of  a  man  and  that  of  a  brute ;  whether  the  latter 
may  not  go  upward  as  well  as  the  former.  The  foregoing  exposition 
of  the  passage  seems  to  be  confirmed  by  the  inference  which  is  drawn 
from  it  in  ver.  22.  If  the  writer  had  believed  that  man  was  distin- 
guished from  beasts  by  a  destiny  to  an  immortal,  conscious,  desirable 
existence,  and  to  a  state  of  righteous  retribution,  and  had,  as  many 
suppose,  intended  to  express  his  surprise  that  so  few  regarded,  as  the 
writer  did,  the  different  destiny  of  the  spirits  of  men  and  brutes,  would 
his  inference  from  the  passage  have  been  exactly  what  it  is  in  ver. 
22 1  Is  not  this  inference  rather  drawn  from  what  the  writer  considers 
as  the  resemblance  of  man  to  the  brutes  in  all  the  points  in  which  he 
compares  them  1    It  ought  not  to  appear  strange  to  any  one,  that  the 


296  NOTES. 

writer  did  not  believe  in  doctrines  which  liad  never  been  revealed  tc 
him  or  to  his  countrymen.  The  other  mode  of  understanding  the 
verse  is  expressed  in  the  paraphrase  of  Patrick :  "  As  for  the  spirit, 
which  makes  all  the  dit!erence  between  the  beasts  and  us,  that  is  invisi- 
ble ;  and  where  sliall  we  find  a  man,  especially  among  those  great 
persons  spoken  of  before,  who  seriously  considers  it,  and  believes  that 
tlie  souls  of  all  mankind  go  to  God  that  gave  them,  to  be  judged  by 
him,  whereas  the  souls  of  beasts  perish  with  them  1 "  If  we  were  to 
allow  that  who  knoivs  may  here  denote  who  considers  or  regards,  the  verse 
as  thus  expounded  seems  to  be  quite  inconsistent  with  the  writer's 
train  of  thought.     (See  the  note  on  ch.  xii.  7.) 

22.  And  therefore,  considering  that  such  is  the  vanity  of  human 
life,  and  that  man  in  his  condition  and  his  end  so  much  resembles  the 
brutes,  "  I  was  confirmed  in  my  former  opinion,"  ch.  ii.  23,  "  that  it 
is  best  for  a  man  herein  also  to  imitate  the  beasts,  by  enjoying  freely 
the  good  things  God  has  blessed  him  withal,  and  taking  all  the  com- 
fort he  can  find  in  them  at  present,  without  soUcitous  care  about  the 
fiiture  ;  for  this  is  all  he  can  be  sure  of:  he  shall  not  enjoy  that  here- 
after Miiich  he  makes  no  use  of  now  ;  much  less,  when  he  is  dead,  can 
he  be  brought  back  again  to  take  any  pleasure  in  the  fruit  of  all  his 
labors,  or  see  what  becomes  of  them."  Patrick.  (See  the  note  on 
ch.  ii.  24.) 

Ch.  IV.  In  this  chapter,  the  author  goes  on  to  illustrate  the  vanity 
of  human  things,  or  the  obstacles  which  prevent  a  tranquil  and  happy 
life,  by  referring  to  the  sufferings  of  the  oppressed ;  to  the  envy  which 
is  excited  towards  the  prosperous ;  to  the  evils  of  avarice  and  of  soli- 
tude ;  and  those  which  attend  royalty,  arising  from  the  infirmities  of 
its  possessor  and  the  fickleness  of  the  people. 

1.  Tlien  I  turned;  i.e.,  from  the  preceding  subject  of  contemplation 
and  remark  to  that  which  follows. 

2,  3.  (Comp.  Jobiii.  11-23.) 

4.  Tliis  also  is  vanity;  namely,  that  an  industrious  and  successful 
man  should  meet  with  envy  and  obloquy  instead  of  good-will  and 
applause. 

5.  —  eateth  his  own  flesh.  This  may  mean  that  the  fool  is  so  tor- 
mented with  envy,  that  he  is,  as  it  were,  consumed  or  devoured  by  it. 
So,  bv  &vfj,bv  Kareduv,  Horn.  II.  vi.  202:  "  Quisnam  illic  homo  est,  qui 
ipsus  se  comest,  tristis,  ocuhs  malis  1 "  (Plant.  Trucul.  ii.  7,  36.)  Ge- 
senius  observes  that  such  a  man  is  called  by  the  Arabs  a  devoiirer  of 
himself;  but  he  does  not,  as  he  ought,  produce  the  proof  of  tliis  asser- 


ECCLESIASTES.  297 

tion.  Another  meaning  of  the  verse  may  be,  that  the  fool,  perceiving 
that  diligence  is  attended  with  envy,  goes  to  the  opposite  extreme  of 
folding  his  hands  and  doing  nothing,  and  thus  is  reduced  to  such  pov- 
erty, that  he  is  ready  to  eat  his  own  flesh  through  extremity  of  hun- 
ger.    This  seems  better  suited  to  the  connection. 

6.  Better,  &c. ;  i.e,  in  reference  to  ver.  4,  "Better  is  a  moderate 
estate,  gotten  honestly  with  moderate  diligence,  and  enjoyed  hand- 
somely with  perfect  contentment,  than  the  greatest  treasures,  gotten 
by  oppression  or  with  infinite  toil,  and  enjoyed  with  anxious  thoughts 
and  fretting  cares,  and  exposing  a  man  either  to  the  hatred  or  the  envy 
of  others."     Patrick. 

7-12.  In  these  verses  is  described  the  vanity  of  avarice,  especially 
in  one  who  lives  in  solitude,  and  has  no  near  friend  to  whom  he  may 
leave  his  wealth.  The  state  of  solitude  is  then  contrasted  with  the 
advantages  of  social  and  married  life. 

8.  [saith  he] .  The  ellipsis  of  these  words,  for  the  sake  of  vivid  repre- 
sentation, is  not  very  unusual.  The  miser  who  is  without  descendants 
is  represented  as  speaking. 

9.  —  good  reward ;  i.e.,  profitable  results.  By  mutual  counsel  and 
assistance  they  efltect  much  more  than  they  could  separately. 

12.  —  threefold  cord,  &c.  No  more  than  a  bundle  of  arrows  or 
sticks ;  though  each  single  thread,  arrow,  or  stick  may  easily  be 
broken. 

13.  Better,  &c.  The  author  draws  a  new  illustration  of  the  vanity 
of  human  life  from  the  contempt  of  royalty,  when  mental  vigor  is 
wanting  in  the  possessor  of  it,  and  from  the  general  uncertainty  and 
inconstancy  of  popular  favor  towards  kings. 

14.  —  out  of  prison;  i.e.,  from  a  very  low  condition,  as  was  not  un- 
common in  the  despotisms  of  the  East,  and  has  not  been  uncommon  in 
modern  times.  —  such  a  one;  i.e.,  one  poor  but  wise.  — for  in  his  own 
kingdom,  &c. ;  i.e.,  that  in  which  he  afterwards  reigned. 

15.  —  with  the  child;  i.e.,  following  him,  paying  their  court  to  him, 
worshipping  the  rising  rather  than  the  setting  sun.  —  in  his  stead; 
i.e.,  instead  of  the  old  and  foolish  king,  ver.  13. 

16.  —  went  forth;  i.e.,  as  a  leader.  —  not  rejoice  in  him ;  i.e.,  by  rea- 
son of  the  love  of  novelty,  the  flattery  of  human  hopes,  and  other  cir- 
cumstances, they  will  be  as  weary  of  the  successor,  though  a  wise  and 
worthy  prince,  as  their  parents  were  of  his  foolish  predecessor. 

Ch.  v.- XII.  The  remainder  of  the  book  is  chiefly  preceptive, 
rather  than  speculative.     The  author  seems  to  be  giving  his  advice  as 

13* 


298  NOTES. 

to  the  way  in  which  we  may  best  pass  through  the  life  of  vanity  which 
^  he  has  described. 

1.  Looh  well  to  thy  feet,  &c. ;  i.e.,  Walk  circumspectly.  Make  sure 
and  straight  steps.  Engage  in  the  services  of  religion  with  attention, 
seriousness,  deliberation,  and  sincerity.  The  metaphor  seems  to  be 
drawn  from  the  condition  of  one  who  is  walking  in  a  very  slippery 
path,  in  which  more  than  ordinary  care  is  necessary  to  keep  him  fi'om 
falling.  The  expression  will  thus  be  similar  to  that  of  taking  heed  to 
one's  ways.  Some,  however,  suppose  the  metaphor  to  be  drawn  from 
the  impropriety  of  entering  the  houses  of  the  great  with  dirty  feet ; 
others,  from  the  practice  of  putting  oflf  the  shoes  on  entering  a  sacred 
place.  —  to  hear.  To  hear  is  often  used  in  the  sense  of  to  obey.  (See 
1  Sam.  XV.  22. )  In  this  place,  it  denotes  to  obey  the  law  wliich  is  read, 
rather  than  simply  to  hear  it,  though  the  latter  is  imphed.  —  as  fools; 
who  offer  splendid  oblations  as  substitutes  of  piety  and  obedience. 
This  does  not  imply  that  the  writer  regards  tiie  offering  of  sacrifice  as 
itself  folly,  but  only  irreverent  sacrifice,  with  no  desire  "  to  hear  "  or 
obey. 

2.  —  ivords  be  few.  As  you  would  not,  if  admitted  to  the  presence 
of  a  king,  use  many  words,  words  which  are  not  weighed  and  chosen, 
much  less  should  you  multiply  words,  without  care,  thought,  and  rev- 
erence, in  the  presence  of  him  who  is  higher  than  the  highest. 

3.  —  with  much  bustle ;  i.e.,  thoughtless  and  profitless  activity.  This 
rendering  of  the  verse  is  strictly  literal ;  and  the  meaning  is,  that  as  a 
dream  is  attended  with,  sets  forth,  or  brings  forward,  many  thoughtless 
and  trifling  matters,  so  a  fool  utters  many  thoughtless  and  trifling 
words.  (Comp.  ver.  7.)  The  objection  to  the  common  version  is,  1. 
That  it  requires  too  much  to  be  supplied  ;  and,  2.  That  it  neglects  the 
studied  antithesis  of  the  original.  It  makes  business  the  cause  of  the 
dream;  but  the  multitude  of  words  is  not  the  cause,  but  the  conse- 
quence, of  folly.  In  the  Hebrew  idiom,  to  come  ivith  is  often  used  to 
denote  to  bring  forward,  to  set  forth.  Ps.  Ixvi.  13,  Ixxi.  16,  where  /  will 
come  with  thy  mighty  deeds,  means,  /  icill  set  forth,  celebrate,  thy  mighty 
deeds. 

4.  5.  (Comp.  Numb.  xxx.  2,  &c. ;  Deut.  xxiii.  21,  22.) 

6.  —  lo  bring  punishment,  &c.  So  Hitzig,  according  to  a  Hebrew 
idiom,  which  is  common  in  the  noun.  (Comp.  in  the  Hebrew,  Isa. 
xxix.  21.)  The  mouth,  by  uttering  inconsiderate  or  false  vows,  might 
bring  punishment  on  the  body,  on  the  whole  man.  —  before  the  angel; 
possibly  before  the  priest,  regarded  as  the  messenger  of  God,  the  an- 
nouncer of  his  will.     (See  Mai.  ii.  7.)     It  may  be,  however,  that  there 


ECCLESIASTES.  299 

is  reference  to  some  angel,  supposed  to  preside  over  the  temple. 
(Comp.  "angel  of  the  Church"  in  Rev.  iii.)  See  Christian  Exam- 
iner for  November,  1838,  pp.  210,  211.  — It  was  a  mistake;  i.e.,  I 
made  a  mistake ;  I  acted  foolishly  and  inconsiderately  in  making  such 
a  vow,  and  therefore  hope  God  will  excuse  me  from  paying  it.  —  the 
work  of  thy  hands;  i.e.,  the  product  of  the  work  of  thy  hands,  thy 
estate. 

7.  — fear  thou  God;  i.e.,  manifest  thy  fear  of  God  by  abstaining 
from  rash  and  inconsiderate  vows. 

8.  —  alarmed  at  the  matter ;  as  though  injustice  would  be  finally  tri- 
umphant, and  sentence  would  never  be  executed  against  the  evil  work. 
—  a  higher,  who  watcheth;  i.e.,  over  subordinate  magistrates  there  is  a 
higher,  or  the  king,  who  will  call  them  to  account ;  and  over  them  all 
is  God,  who  will  bring  every  work  of  the  king  as  well  as  of  the  sub- 
ject, into  judgment. 

9.  —  a  king  over  cultivated  grouud ;  i.e.,  one  who  does  not  make  his 
country  desolate  and  barren  by  oppression.  So  the  Sept.  ^aailevg  tov 
aypov  €lpyaafj.£vov.  ^353  denotes  tilled,  in  Ezek.  xxxvi.  9,  24;  Deut. 

xxi.  4.  (See  Fiirst's  Lex.)  The  rendering  adopted  by  me  in  the  for- 
mer edition,  "  honored  by  the  land,"  seems  to  be  not  sufficiently  sanc- 
tioned by  Hebrew  usage. 

11.  —  that  eat  them.  "  The  more  meat,  the  more  mouths.  The 
more  men  have,  the  better  house  they  must  keep ;  the  more  servants 
employ,  the  more  guests  entertain ;  the  more  give  to  the  poor,  and  the 
more  will  they  have  hanging  on  them ;  for  where  the  carcass  is,  the 
eagles  will  be.  What  we  have  more  than  food  and  raiment,  we  have 
for  others ;  and  then  what  good  is  there  to  the  owners  themselves,  but 
the  pleasure  of  beholding  them  with  their  eyes '?  And  a  poor  pleasure 
it  is ;  an  empty  speculation  is  all  the  difference  between  the  owners 
and  the  sharers."     Henry. 

"  P.  What  riches  give  us,  let  us  then  inquire  ; 

Meat,  fire,  and  clothes.     ^.  What  more?     P.  Meat,  clothes,  and  fire. 

Is  this  too  little  ?  would  you  more  than  live  ?  " 

Pope's  Moral  Essays,  Epist.  iii.  79. 

"  Congestis  undique  saccis 


Indormis  inhians,  et  tanquam  parcere  sacris 
Cogeris,  aut  pictis  tanquam  gaudere  tabellis." 


Hor.  Sat.  i.  1,  70. 


"  On  every  side  the  numerous  bags  are  piled, 
Whose  hallowed  stores  must  never  be  defiled 
To  human  use  ;  while  you  transported  gaze, 
As  if,  like  pictures,  they  were  formed  to  please." 


300  NOTES. 

12.  —  repletion ;  i.e.,  of  his  stomach  with  various  delicacies,  more 
than  can  be  digested.  This  is  the  literal  rendering.  Some,  however, 
understand  abundance  of  wealth,  which  brings  cares  and  fears. 

"  An  vigilare  metu  exanimem,  noctesque  diesque 
Formidare  malos  fures,  incendia,  servos, 
Ne  te  compilent  fugientes;  hoc  juvat?  horum 
Semper  ego  optarim  pauperrinius  esse  bonorum."        Id.  76. 

"  But,  with  continual  watching  almost  dead, 
House-breaking  thieves,  and  midnight  fires  to  dread, 
Or  the  suspected  slave's  untimely  iiight 
With  the  dear  pelf;  if  this  be  thy  delight, 
Be  it  my  fate,  so  Heaven  in  bounty  please, 
Still  to  be  poor  of  blessings  such  as  these." 

Francis's  Translation. 

13.  —  to  his  hurt;  by  exposing  him  to  danger  from  thieves,  as  repre- 
sented in  the  last  quotation  from  Horace ;  or,  by  causing  mental  dis- 
tress when  he  loses  them,  as  described  in  the  next  verse. 

14.  —  in  his  hand.  There  seems  to  be  no  consideration  which  de- 
cides conclusively  whether  his  refers  to  the  father,  who,  by  calamity, 
is  deprived  of  the  power  of  leaving  any  thing  to  the  son  for  whom  he 
endured  all  his  labors,  or  whether  it  refers  to  the  son,  who  has  nothing 
in  his  possession  after  his  father's  death.  I  incline  to  the  former  sup- 
position. 

15.  These  things,  indeed,  do  not  always  happen ;  but  it  is  at  least 
certain,  that,  though  he  died  possessed  of  all  that  he  has  acquired,  yet 
he  cannot  carry  one  farthing  away  with  him.  (See  Job  i.  21 ;  1  Tim. 
vi.  7.)     So  Propertius,  1.  iii,  Eleg.  3,  vs.  13,  14:  — 

"  Haud  uUas  portiibis  opes  Acherontis  ad  undas, 
Nudus  ab  inferna,  stulte,  vehere  rate." 

16.  — for  wind;  i.e.,  for  riches,  which  are  empty  and  unsatisfying, 
uncertain  and  transitory,  wiiich  no  man  can  retain  more  than  he  can 
wind.     (Comp.  Prov.  xxiii.  5.) 

17.  —  he  ate  in  darkness ;  i.e.,  lived  in  disquietude,  vexation,  and 
fear. 

18.  (See  the  note  on  ch.  ii.  24.)  —  his  portion;  i.e.,  the  use  and  en- 
joyment of  one's  possessions  is  all  that  can  be  truly  called  his  own; 
all  the  good  which  he  can  receive  from  them. 

19.  — gifi  of  God;  i.e.,  to  the  good  man.     (See  ch.  ii.  26.) 

20.  —  will  not  much  remember,  &.C.  He  does  not  torment  himself 
with  useless  grief  about  the  past  misfortunes  of  his  life,  which  he  can- 


ECCLESIASTES.  301 

not  remedy,  nor  with  vain  anxiety  about  future  ones,  which  he  cannot 
avoid.  — answerelh  him  with;  i.e.,  bestows  upon  him  joy,  as  it  were, 
in  answer  to  his  desires.     Otlierwise,  occupieth  him  with,  &c. 

Ch.  VI.  1-6.  The  folly  and  misery  of  avarice ;  of  hoarding,  with- 
out enjoying  or  using. 

1.  —  lieth  heavy.  (See  viii.  6.)  —  God  giveth  him  not  to  taste,  &.C.; 
on  account  of  his  avaricious  mind,  his  temper  ever  anxious  about  the 
future,  his  disposition  to  neglect  the  present  use  and  enjoyment  of  his 
wealth. 

3.  —  his  soul  be  not  satisfied  with  good;  i.e.,  if  he  have  not  a  cheerful, 
contented  mind,  if  he  do  not  enjoy  his  property,  &c.  —  and  he  have  no 
burial;  either  because  the  strangers  to  whom  his  property  is  left  have 
grudged  him  the  expense  of  a  decent  burial,  or  because  he  has  died 
in  foreign  lands,  or  drowned  in  a  foreign  sea,  whither  he  had  gone 
in  quest  of  wealth.  How  much  importance  the  Hebrews  attached  to 
a  decent  burial  appears  from  Isa.  xiv.  19,  20;  Job  xxvii.  19;  Ps. 
Ixxix.  2. 

4.  —  Cometh  in  nothingness ;  i.e.,  the  abortion  has  no  real  existence  as 
a  human  being.  —  goeth  down  into  darkness ;  i.e.,  is  immediately  buried, 
put  out  of  sight.  —  its  name  is  covered,  &c. ;  i.e.,  no  mention  is  made 
of  it. 

6.  —  a7id  see  no  good,  &c. ;  i.e.,  enjoy  no  good,  have  no  enjoyment 
of  the  good  things  of  life.  —  to  one  place ;  i.e.,  the  grave.  And  if  they 
who  live  long  have  no  enjoyment  of  life,  it  follows  that  they  who  die 
soonest  have  the  most  rest.  "  Omnes  eodem  cogimur."  (Hor.  Carm. 
ii.  3,  25.) 

"  Serius  aut  citius  sedem  properamus  ad  unam  ; 
Tendimus  hue  omnes;  htec  est  domus  ultima." 

Ovid.  Metam.  x.  33,  34. 

7.  — for  his  mouth,  &c.  Although  all  that  a  man  can  get  by  his 
labors  is  food  necessary  for  the  support  of  life  (see  ch.  v.  11,  and  tlie 
note),  yet  such  is  the  vanity  of  the  world  and  the  folly  of  mankind, 
that  the  desires  of  men  are  insatiable. 

8.  For  what  advantage,  &c.  The  most  natural  meaning  of  this  verse 
seems  to  be  this  :  Since  the  support  of  life,  or  meat,  clothes,  and  fire, 
is  the  chief  advantage  of  wealth,  what  advantage  has  the  wise  man 
over  the  fool,  or  what  advantage  has  the  poor  man  who  knows  how  to 
walk  before  the  living,  i.e.,  who  is  ingenious,  enterprising,  knowing 
how  to  gain  the  favor  of  the  rich  over  the  poor  man  who  is  destitute 
of  these  advantages,  who  does  not  know  how  to  walk  before  the  living  ? 


302  NOTES. 

For  the  most  foolish,  and  the  most  ignorant  and  rude  of  the  poor,  can, 
by  the  labor  of  their  hands,  find  bread  to  fill  their  mouths,  &c. 

9.  —  sight  of  the  eyes,  &c. ;  i.e.,  the  enjoyment,  the  making  the  best, 
of  what  is  present  is  better  than  the  wandering  of  the  soul  after  things 
at  a  distance,  and  afiecting  a  variety  of  imaginary  gratifications  which 
usually  end  in  vexation. 

10.  That  which  is ;  i.e.,  relating  to  man.  —  was  long  ago  called  by 
name.  The  meaning  of  this  sentence  is  not  very  obvious.  It  seems, 
however,  to  intimate  that  the  condition  and  fortunes  of  every  man  are 
known  and  appointed  by  the  Almighty ;  that  they  depend  more  upon 
an  established  course  of  things  than  upon  Ms  personal  striving.  ( Comp. 
ch.  iii.  1-9.)  Hence  the  folly  of  excessive  exertion  and  anxiety. 
Others  suppose  the  meaning  to  be,  Man  is  fi-ail,  earthy,  mortal,  ac- 
cording to  the  name  Adam,  which  God  gave  him  when  he  formed  him 
out  of  the  dust;  Adam  being  supposed  to  denote  earth.     (Gen.  ii.  7.) 

11.  —  increase  vanity,  &c.  Ver.  11  and  12  seem  to  be  added  as  a 
conclusion  of  all  that  he  has  said  respecting  the  toil,  care,  and  anxiety 
which  what  are  called  the  good  things  of  this  life  bring  with  them. 
(Comp.  ver.  8  and  the  note.) 

12.  — ajler  him  under  the  sun ;  i.e.,  he  knows  not  who  shall  possess 
his  acquisitions,  or  whether  the  future  owners  of  his  possessions  will 
use  or  abuse  them.  Whence  it  follows,  that  it  is  best  for  a  man  to  live 
a  tranquil,  unambitious  life,  agreeably  to  ver.  7-9.  (See  ii.  18;  iii. 
22;  xii.  14.) 

Ch.  VII.  1-VIII.  13.  The  design  of  this  portion  is  to  give  cer- 
tain proverbs  or  precepts  for  the  guidance,  consolation,  or  support  of 
men  in  their  passage  through  the  world,  whose  vanity  he  has  de- 
scribed, and  continues  to  set  forth  by  incidental  remarks.  The  gen- 
eral purport  of  these  precepts  is  to  inculcate  the  necessity  of  regulating 
our  thoughts,  dispositions,  desires,  even  to  an  extent  which  may  seem 
paradoxical  to  the  mass  of  mankind,  and  conforming  them  to  the  course 
of  things,  or  the  appointments  of  the  Creator.  For  precepts,  just,  com- 
prehensive, and  complete,  having  a  certain  resemblance  to  those  of  the 
Preacher,  see  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 

1.  — precious  perfume;  such  as  was  used  in  the  East,  as  a  part  of 
personal  comfort,  elegance,  and  dress.  "The  custom  of  anointing  with 
oil  or  perfume  was  also  common  among  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  es- 
pecially the  anointing  of  guests  at  feasts  and  other  entertainments." 
(See  Potter's  Grec.  Ant.,  vol.  ii.  p.  385;  Adam's  Rom.  Ant,  p.  144; 
Hor.  Od.,  ii.  7, 11 ;  iii.  29 ;  Joseph.  Ant.,  xix.  4, 1,  and  9,  1 ;  Iliad,  xiv. 


ECCLESIASTES.  303 

171.)  The  same  custom  is  still  prevalent  in  the  East.  Tavemier  says, 
that  "  among  the  Arabs  olive-oil  is  regarded  as  a  very  agreeable  pres- 
ent. When  any  one  offers  it  to  them,  they  immediately  take  off  their 
turban,  and  anoint  their  head,  face,  and  beard,  raising  their  eyes  to 
heaven  at  the  same  time,  and  exclaiming,  '  Thanks  be  to  God.'"  (Ro- 
senmiil.  A.  ii.  N.  Morgenland,  vol.  iv.  p.  117.)  — day  of  one's  death. 
Since  life  is  so  full  of  vexation  and  misery,  it  is  a  more  desirable  thing 
for  a  man  to  go  out  of  it  than  to  come  into  it,  although  it  is  the  prac- 
tice of  almost  all  mankind  to  celebrate  their  own  or  children's  birthdays 
Avith  solemn  feasts  and  rejoicings,  and  their  deaths  with  all  expressions 
of  sorrow. 

2.  — for  that;  i.e.,  death.  In  Schultens's  Anthologia,  &c.,  is  the  fol- 
lowing sentiment  of  an  Arabic  poet :  — 

"  When  thou  hearest  lameatations  for  the  dead,  be  there  ! 
But,  if  thou  art  invited  to  a  feast,  beware !  " 

See  Ros.  ad  loc. 

4.  The  heart  of  the  wise,  &c. ;  even  when  their  bodies  are  absent. 
There  is  no  inconsistency  between  this  remark  and  those  passages 
which  inculcate  the  enjoyment  of  the  present;  because  by  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  present  the  writer  means  not  sensual  or  riotous  pleasure, 
but  the  grateful  use  of  the  good  which  Heaven  sends,  in  opposition  to 
excessive  striving  and  anxiety  about  the  future. 

6.  —  song  of  fools ;  i.e.,  the  music,  songs,  and  jests  of  merry  compan- 
ions, which  are  commonly  regarded  as  deUghtful. 

6.  —  crackling  of  thorns ;  which  make  a  great  noise  and  blaze,  as  if 
they  would  produce  a  mighty  heat,  but  leave  the  water  as  cold  as  they 
found  it.  — laughter  of  a  fool ;  i.e.,  quickly  passing  away,  doing  no 
good,  but  rather  terminating  in  a  sad  silence. 

7.  —  the  gain  of  oppression.  From  speaking  of  fools,  the  Preacher 
is  led  to  a  particular  instance  of  folly,  namely,  the  grasping  at  unjust 
gain,  bribes,  &c.,  which  take  away  from  wise  men  their  judgment  and 
reason.     (Comp.  Exod.  xxiii.  8;  Deut.  xvi.  19  ;  Prov.  xv.  27.) 

8.  Better  is  the  end.  If  this  verse  is  connected  in  sense  with  the  pre- 
ceding, the  meaning  is,  that  the  end  of  the  practice  of  bribery  will  show 
that  he  who  takes  it  is  not  a  gainer  by  it.  But  as  there  is  often  no  con- 
nection between  one  proverb  and  the  preceding,  the  meaning  may  be 
general,  that  we  cannot  judge  well  of  things  till  they  are  brought  to  a 
conclusion.  Some  things,  which  are  pleasant  and  promising  at  first, 
end  in  ruin ;  and  some  things,  difiicult  and  painful  at  first,  have  a 
happy  termination.     —  patient  in  spirit ;  who  quietly  waits  for  the  end 


304  NOTES. 

of  things.  — proud  in  spirit;  pride  being  the  chief  cause  of  impa- 
tience.    Or  this  last  line  may  be  understood  more  generally. 

9.  —  anger  resteth;  i.e.,  dwells,  has  its  abode ;  is  ever  at  hand  on  all 
occasions. 

10.  In  this  verse  the  Preacher  condemns  a  querulous,  repining 
spirit,  which  indulges  itself  in  unavailing  wishes  that  it  had  lived  in 
what  it  regards  the  good  old  times,  instead  of  accommodating  itself  to 
the  present  state  of  things.  Perhaps  complaints  even  against  the  Gov- 
ernor of  the  world  may  be  referred  to.  Tliis  spirit  has  been  common 
in  all  ages.     (Comp.  Hor.  Ars  Poet.,  173.) 

"  Difficilis,  queriilus,  laudator  temporis  acti 
Se  puero,  censor  castigatorque  minorum." 

The  notion  of  the  superiority  of  former  ages  is  still  prevalent  in  the 
East.  "  The  Hindoos  have  four  ages,  which  nearly  correspond  with  the 
golden,  silver,  brazen,  and  iron  ages  of  the  "Western  heathen.  In  the 
first  age,  called  Kretha,  they  say  the  corn  sprang  up  spontaneously, 
and  required  no  attention ;  in  the  second,  named  Treatha,  the  justice 
of  kings  and  the  blessings  of  the  righteous  caused  it  to  grow ;  in  the 
third,  called  Tuvara,  rain  produced  it ;  but  in  this,  the  fourth  age, 
called  Kalhj,  many  works  have  to  be  done  to  cause  it  to  grow.  '  Our 
fathers,'  say  they,  '  had  three  harvests  in  the  year  :  the  trees  also  gave 
an  abundance  of  fruit.  Where  is  now  the  cheapness  of  provisions  1 
the  abundance  of  fish  ?  the  fruitful  flocks  1  the  rivers  of  milk  ?  the 
plenty  of  water  1  Where  the  pleasures  I  Where  the  dociUty  of  ani- 
mals ?  Where  the  righteousness,  the  truth,  and  affection  ?  Where 
the  riches,  the  peace,  the  plenty  ?  Where  the  mighty  men  ?  Where 
the  chaste  and  beautiful  mothers,  with  their  fifteen  or  sixteen  children  1 
Alas,  alas  !  they  are  all  fled.'"     (Roberts's  Illustrations  ad  loc.) 

11.  —  as  good,  &c. ;  it  is  as  desirable  to  possess  wisdom  as  to  in- 
herit a  fortune ;  yea,  even  more  so.     —  that  see  the  sun ;  i.e.,  that  live. 

12.  —  giveth  life,  &c. ;  literally,  vivijieth ;  i.e.,  makes  them  flourish- 
ing, contented,  happy.  So  the  noun  life  is  used  in  Prov.  iv.  22,  23 ; 
xii.  28,  and  many  other  places.  "  It  marvellously  supports,  revives, 
and  comforts  the  souls  of  those  who  are  owners  of  it,  under  all  the 
evils  which  it  could  not  help  them  by  honest  means  to  avoid."  Pat 
rich. 

13.  From  the  praise  of  wisdom  the  Preacher  passes  to  the  principal 
exercise  of  it,  namely,  the  contemplation  of  the  providence  of  God. 
—  the  work  of  God ;  i.e.,  ivhat  God  doeth ;  i.e.,  in  the  circumstances  and 
events  which  we  witness.     We  are  instructed  in  this  verse  to  regard 


ECCLESIASTES.  305 

our  condition  as  appointed  by  God,  and  to  suit  our  minds  to  it;  for  we 
ciiiniot  bring  things  to  our  minds,  and  therefore  it  is  best  to  strive  to 
conform  our  minds  to  our  condition,  whether  it  be  one  of  prosperity  or 
adversity. 

14.  —  be  joyful.  (See  tlie  note  on  ch.  ii.  24.)  — look  for  a  day  of 
adversity.     So  I  translate,  because  I  doubt  whether  the  verb  nii'l, 

wiiich  literally  means  to  see,  is  ever  used  to  denote  what  we  understand 
by  tlie  term  consider.  It  would  be  against  the  author's  views  to  recom- 
mend anxiety  about  the  future ;  but  it  is  not  anxiety  to  remember  in 
the  day  of  prosperity  tliat  it  may  not  always  last.  We  are  the  better 
prepared  to  endure  the  storm  when  it  comes,  if  we  remember  that 
sooner  or  later  it  will  come  to  all.  —  what  shall  he  after  him ;  i.e.,  God 
has  ordained  that  prosperity  and  adversity  shall  succeed  each  other  in 
the  course  of  men's  lives,  so  that  they  cannot  foresee  what  shall  take 
place  in  the  future,  or  after  they  have  left  the  world,  and  thus  may  live 
in  constant  dependence  upon  God,  and  submission  to  his  will.  ( Comp. 
vi.  12.) 

15.  All  this ;  i.e.  All  that  I  have  mentioned,  and  am  about  to  men- 
tion. —  my  days  of  vanity  ;  i.e.,  my  vain  Ufe.  —  in  their  righteousness  ; 
or,  by  their  righteousness.  The  meaning  assigned  to  ver.  15,  16,  and 
17,  by  Patrick,  in  his  paraphrase,  seems  to  me  as  probable  as  any : 
"  It  seems  very  hard  that  a  just  man's  integrity  should  not  be  able  to 
preserve  him,  but  he  is  therefore  perhaps  destroyed  because  he  is  bet- 
ter than  others,  when  a  wicked  man  escapes,  nay,  is  countenanced  and 
encouraged,  or  suffered  to  prolong  his  days  in  (and  perhaps  by)  his 
wickedness.  But  besides  other  things  which  may  be  replied  to  this 
(as  that  good  men  are  sometimes  removed  from,  and  wicked  reserved 
unto,  future  evils),  it  must  be  noted  also,  that  some  pious  men  are 
more  strict  and  rigid  than  they  need  be,  and  not  so  prudent  as  they 
ought  to  be,  but  necessarily  expose  themselves  to  danger.  And  there- 
fore it  is  good  advice,  in  order  to  a  safe  and  quiet  passage  through  this 
life,  to  be  temperate  in  thy  zeal,  and  not  to  overdo,  either  by  extend- 
ing thy  own  duty  beyond  the  divine  commandment,  or  by  correcting 
the  inveterate  vices  of  others,  and  opposing  the  vulgar  opinions  too 
severely  or  unseasonably,  whereby  they  are  only  exasperated  and  en- 
raged, but  not  at  all  amended  ;  for  why  should  a  man  bring  a  mischief 
upon  himself  without  any  benefit  unto  others  ?  And,  on  the  other  side, 
let  not  impunity  tempt  any  man  to  presume  to  grow  so  enormously 
wicked  and  foolish  as  to  embrace  and  follow  the  lewdest  opinions ;  for 
this  may  awaken  the  public  justice  against  him,  even  for  the  common 


306  NOTES. 

safety;  or  the  divine  vengeance,  nay,  his  own  excessive  wickedness, 
may  cut  him  off  before  he  come  to  the  natural  term  of  his  life." 
Rosenmiiller  supposes  these  precepts  to  have  particular  reference  to 
judges  and  rulers  in  the  administration  of  laws.  But  this  supposition 
does  not  seem  to  be  supported  by  verse  17. 

18.  —  take  hold  of  this ;  i.e.,  the  counsel  about  avoiding  wickedness 
and  folly,  vei'.  17.  — ^'W  that;  i.e.,  the  advice  in  ver.  16.  —  escape, 
&c.     For  i^^i  with  the  accusative,  see  Gen.  xliv.  4 ;  Exod.  ix.  29,  3o  ; 

t  T 

Amos  iv.  3  The  rendering  sladl  make  his  way,  i.e.,  order  his  life 
which  Stuart  adopts  from  Hitzig,  seems  to  me  more  forced  than  tlie 
somewhat  unusual  construction  which  it  aims  to  avoid.  To  iraik 
means  to  order  the  life  ;  but  to  come  out  has  not  this  meaning.  —  all 
those  tldngs;  i.e.,  the  extremes  which  have  been  mentioned,  and  their 
evil  consequences. 

21.  Give  no  heed,  &c.  Lord  Bacon,  as  quoted  by  Patrick  ad  loc, 
thus  remarks  on  this  verse  :  "  It  is  a  matter  almost  bej'ond  belief,  what 
disturbance  is  created  by  unprofitable  curiosity  about  those  things  that 
concern  our  personal  interest ;  that  is,  when  we  make  a  too  scrupulous 
inquiry  after  such  secrets,  which,  once  disclosed  and  found  out,  do  but 
cause  a  disquiet  of  mind,  and  nothing  conduce  to  the  advancing  of  our 
designs.  For,  first,  there  follows  vexation  and  disquiet  of  mind ; 
human  affairs  being  so  full  of  treacliery  and  ingratitude,  that,  if  there 
could  be  procured  a  magical  glass  in  which  we  might  behold  the 
hatreds  and  wliatsoever  malicious  contrivances  are  anywhere  raised 
up  against  us,  it  would  be  better  for  us  if  such  a  glass  were  forthwith 
thrown  away  and  broken  in  pieces.  For  things  of  this  nature  are  like 
the  murmurs  of  the  leaves  of  trees,  which  in  a  short  time  vanish ! 
Secondly,  This  curiosity  loads  the  mind  too  much  with  suspicions  and 
ungrounded  jealousies ;  which  is  the  most  capital  enemy  to  counsels, 
and  renders  them  inconstant  and  involved.  Thirdly,  The  same  curi- 
osity doth  sometimes  fix  those  evils  which  otherwise  of  themselves 
would  pass  by  us  and  fly  away.  For  it  is  a  dangerous  thing  to  irritate 
the  consciences  of  men ;  who,  if  they  think  themselves  to  lie  undis- 
covered, are  easily  changed  for  the  better ;  but,  if  they  perceive  them- 
selves to  be  detected,  drive  out  one  mischief  by  another.  And  there- 
fore it  was  deservedly  esteemed  the  highest  wisdom  in  Pomjiey  the 
Great,  that  he  instantly  burnt  all  Sertorius's  papers,  unperused  by  him- 
self, or  suffered  to  be  seen  by  others."  —  "  Be  not  solicitous  or  inquisi- 
tive to  know  what  people  say  of  thee :  ,if  they  speak  well  of  thee,  it 
will  feed  thy  pride ;  if  ill,  it  will  stir  up  thy  passion."    Henry. 


ECCLESIASTES.  307 

23.  —  it  was  far  from  me;  i.e.,  I  feil  far  short  of  the  perfection  of 
wisdom  to  which  I  aspired. 

24.  — far  off,  &.c. ;  i.e.,  perfect  wisdom,  a  knowledge  of  the  reasons 
of  all  that  occurs  in  the  world.     (Comp.  ch.  i.  13.) 

25.  —  wickedness  and  folly,  &c.  Otherwise,  to  know  wickedness  as 
folly,  and  folly  as  madness.  This  could  scarcely  be  said  to  be  the  pur- 
pose, though  it  'would  be  the  certain  result,  of  diligent  investigation. 
The  result  of  the  Preacher's  investigation  seems  to  be  in  the  next 
verse. 

27.  —  to  find  out  knowledge;  perhaps,  the  computation,  result,  or  conclu- 
sion. 

28.  —  is  this;  namely,  a  wise  and  virtuous  woman.  This  is  spoken 
in  conformity  with  the  Oriental  notions  of  the  female  sex.  (See  Job 
xiv.  1,  and  the  note.) 

29.  —  God  made  man  upright.  That  man  is  used  in  the  collective 
sense,  denoting  all  mankind,  including  especially  the  men  and  women 
who  are  just  before  mentioned,  is  evident  from  the  plural  verb,  they 
have  sought  out.  — devices;  i.e.,  perverse  and  evil  pursuits.  Jerome 
remarks  on  this  passage :  "  Ne  videretur  communera  hominum  dam- 
nare  naturam,  et  Deum  auctorem  facere  mali,  dum  talium  conditor  est 
qui  malum  vitare  non  possint,  argute  praacavit,  et  ait,  bonos  nos  a  Deo 
creates  ;  sed  quia  libero  sumus  arbitrio  derelicti,  vitio  nostro  ad  pejora 
labi,  dum  majora  quaerimus,  et  ultra  vires  nostras  varia  cogitamus." 

Ch.  VIII.  1.  — hrighteneth  his  countenance;  i.e.,  enlivens  it,  makes 
it  cheerful  and  mild,  beaming  kindness.     (Comp.  Ps.  Ixxx.  3,  7,  19.) 

2.  —  oath  of  God;  i.e.,  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  king,  which  you 
called  God  to  witness. 

3.  — to  depart  from  his  presence;  i.e.,  in  dislike  or  discontent,  quit- 
ting his  service  or  obedience.  —  persist  not,  &c.  Less  probably,  stand 
not  up ;  i.e.,  show  no  resentment,  on  account  of  a  grievous  word. 

4.  — powerful;  i.e.,  he  has  instruments  enough  to  execute  all  he 
commands,  and  there  is  none  to  call  him  to  account  for  his  conduct. 

5.  —  time  and  judgment.  Most  modern  interpreters  translate  time 
and  manner;  i.e.,  a  wise  man  will  attempt  to  correct  what  he  sees  to  be 
wrong  in  government,  only  at  a  fit  time  and  in  the  best  way.  He  will 
not  be  rash  and  violent  in  opposition  to  the  powers  that  be.  The  pas- 
sage thus  has  a  good  meaning.  But  it  is  doubtful  whether  this  signi- 
fication, manner,  be  justified  by  the  usage  of  the  term  t:-3uj73  in  the 
Scriptures.    In  this  book  it  has  a  difierent  sense  in  all  other  passages 


308  NOTES. 

in  which  it  occurs.  The  word  time  seems  also  to  be  used  in  a  peculiar 
way.  Thus,  in  ch.  iii.  17,  "  For  there  shall  be  u  time  for  every  em- 
ployment and  for  every  work."  Here  the  connection  seems  to  require 
us  to  understand  a  time  of  judgment.  So,  in  ch.  ix.  12,  "  Man  knoweth 
not  his  time;"  i.e.,  the  time  when  calamity  or  death  sliall  come  upon 
him.  So,  in  Job  xxiv.  1,  the  term  denotes  the  time  when  one  may 
experience  the  evil  consequences  of  imprudence,  rashness,  or  mis- 
conduct. Judgment,  it  is  well  known,  often  denotes  retribution  or 
punishment. 

6.  For  to  every  thing  there  is  a  time  and  judgment ;  i.e.,  time  when  the 
consequences  of  it  shall  be  experienced,  and  retribution  take  place. 
(See  the  note  on  the  preceding  verse.)  Otherwise,  time  and  manner, 
in  the  sense  above  referred  to.  —  the  misery,  &c.  Otherwise,  the 
wickedness,  &c. 

8.  We  need  not  seek  for  any  closer  connection  of  this  verse  with 
the  preceding  than  to  suppose  it  an  illusti-ation  of  human  misery,  men- 
tioned in  ver.  6,  or  of  man's  ignorance  of  the  future,  in  his  being  unable 
to  predict  the  day  of  his  death.  —  the  spirit ;  i.e.,  his  vital  spirit, 
breath  of  life.  (See  ch.  iii.  19.)  Otherwise,  the  wind.  — discharge, 
&.C. ;  in  the  conflict  between  life  and  death,  all  must  engage,  and  aU  be 
subdued. 

9.  —  to  his  hurt ;  i.e.,  to  the  injury  and  oppression  of  the  governed. 
Man  oppresses  his  fellow-man. 

10.  —  the  ivicked  buried;  i.e.,  I  saw  those  who  deserved  infamy  ob- 
taining an  honorable  burial.  The  Hebrews  held  the  burial  of  the  dead 
to  be  a  subject  of  the  utmost  importance.  To  be  cast  out  imburied 
was  considered  as  in  the  highest  degree  ignominious  and  terrible. 
(Isa.  xiv.  10,  20;  Jer.  vii.  33,  xxii.  19.)  —  ca?ne  and  ivent  from  the  holy 
place;  i.e.,  came  into  life  and  Avent  out  of  it,  from  the  sacred  city  of 
Jerusalem,  or  perhaps  from  the  royal  palace.  The  verb  signifying 
to  go,  in  Hebrew,  as  in  the  Greek,  English,  and  other  languages,  is 
often  used  as  a  euphemism  to  denote  death.  —  were  forgotten ;  i.e.,  did 
not  receive  that  place  in  the  memory  of  their  fellow-citizens  wliich 
their  virtues  deserved.  (Comp.  Isa.  Ivii.  1.)  The  sentiment  of  the 
verse  I  understand  to  be  similar  to  that  in  ver.  14.  In  regard  to  the 
rendering,  the  righteous,  literally,  they  who  did  right,  the  Hebrew  word 
'^S  means  right,  or  so,  according  to  the  connection.     (Comp.  Numb. 

xxxvii.  7;  2  Kings  vii.  9.)  Those  who  prefer  the  latter  rendering 
will  regard  the  whole  verse  as  relating  to  the  wicked.  It  will  then 
refer  to  ill-gotten  or  ill-used  honor  and  power.     They  who  possess 


ECCLESIASTES.  309 

the  highest  degrees  of  either  will  soon  come  to  the  grave  and  be  for- 
gotten. 

11.  Because  sentence,  &c. ;  i.e.,  of  retribution,  punishment.  (Comp. 
ch.  xii.  14. )  The  sentiment  of  this  verse  is  of  universal  application 
in  regard  to  evil-doers,  but  probably  refers  in  this  place  more  particu- 
larly to  tyrants. 

12.  —  and  have  his  dai/s  ]>Tolon(/ed;  i.e.,  in  or  by  his  wickedness. 
(Comp.  ch.  vii.  15.)  Or,  though  no  evil  happen  to  him  for  a  Icjng 
time.  The  verse  evidently  refers  to  retribution  in  this  life,  as  appears 
from  the  next  verse. 

13.  —  shall  not  prolong  his  days;  i.e.,  he  shall  come  to  a  sudden  and 
violent  end.  (Comp.  Trov.  x.  27 ;  Ps.  Iv.  23.)  Some  understand  this 
verse  as  an  imprecation,  in  order  to  avoid  a  seeming  inconsistency  be- 
tween it  and  the  last.  But  the  wicked  may  have  his  days  prolonged 
for  a  time,  and  yet  come  to  an  untimely  end.     (Comp.  pp.  105-109.) 

Ch.  VIII.  14- IX.  10.  In  this  section  the  Preacher  goes  on  to 
illustrate  the  vanity  of  earthly  things,  as  exhibited  in  the  apparently 
equal  prosperity  of  the  righteous  and  the  wicked,  and  the  difficulty  of 
understanding  the  Divine  proceedings  in  the  affairs  of  the  world.  II9 
repeats  and  farther  illustrates  these  ideas,  and  proceeds  to  recommend 
the  present  enjoyment  of  life's  blessings  as  wiser  than  to  live  in  anxiety 
about  distant  good,  or  perplexity  about  the  mysteries  of  human  aflairs. 
(See  p.  117.) 

14.  On  the  consistency  of  this  sentiment  with  the  preceding  verses, 
see  pp.  105-109. 

15.  Then  I  commended  joi/,  &c.  Some  understand  this  as  the  cavil 
of  an  objector,  but  without  reason.  The  meaning  is,  Since  a  man  has 
so  little  power  over  his  condition,  since  he  can  understand  so  httle  of 
the  reasons  upon  which  the  outward  condition  of  the  righteous  and 
the  wicked  is  allotted,  it  is  best  for  him  not  to  perplex  and  torment 
himself  about  these  seeming  disorders  of  the  world,  but  to  live  in 
cheerfulness  and  tranquillity,  freely  enjoying  the  present  good  things 
which  are  allotted  him,  without  anxious  cares  respecting  the  distant 
future,  or  painful  efforts  to  discover  the  reasons  of  the  Divine  proceed- 
ings. (Comp.  ch.  ii.  24,  and  the  note.)  —it  is  this  that  abideth  with 
him,  &c. ;  i.e.,  the  use  and  enjoyment  of  what  a  man  obtains  by  his 
labor  is  all  that  can  properly  be  called  his  own.  Whatever  estate, 
possession,  &c.,  he  may  acquire  will  be  left  to  others.  The  use  and 
enjoyment  only  are  his  own. 

16.  —  to  know  wisdom,  and  to  see  the  busiriess,  &c. ;  i.e.,  to  advance 


310  NOTES. 

^  myself  in  wisdom,  and  to  observe  the  vain  and  wearisome  labors  of 
men.  I  suppose  that  wisdom,  in  this  verse,  refers  particularly  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  causes  and  reasons  of  the  Divine  proceedings ;  and 
that  to  see  the  business  which  is  done  is  pursued  for  the  purpose  of  finding 
out  the  work  of  God,  as  mentioned  in  the  next  verse,  and  the  mysteries 
of  his  government  of  the  world.  —  doth  one  see  sleep  with  his  eyes.  The 
restless,  anxious  activity  of  men  in  general  is  denoted.  Some  trans- 
late, doth  it,  i.e.,  the  mind,  see  sleep  with  its  eyes;  but  this  seems  to  be  too 
harsh  a  metaphor. 

17.  —  the  whole  work  of  God;  i.e.,  the  method  and  reasons  of  his  pro- 
ceedings in  administering  the  affairs  of  the  world ;  why,  for  instance, 
he  sutlers  the  wicked  to  jirosper  and  the  virtuous  to  be  oppressed,  as  in 
ver.  9,  14.  This  the  Preacher  maintains  to  be  beyond  the  comprehen- 
sion of  man.     —  is  done,  namely,  by  God  in  his  providence. 

Ch.  IX.  1.  —  in  the  hand  of  God.  This  phrase  denotes  sometimes, 
to  be  in  the  power  of  God  ;  sometimes,  to  be  under  his  protecting  care.  Both 
senses  are  applicable  here.  —  yet  neither  his  love  nor  hatred  doth  any  man 
know ;  i.e.,  from  the  good  or  bad  outward  condition  of  a  man  it  cannot 
be  determined  whether  God  loves  or  hates  him.  —  all  is  before  them; 
reserved  in  the  dark,  uncertain  future. 

2.  All  [cometh  to  tliemj  as  to  all;  i.e.,  to  the  righteous  as  to  all  other 
men.  "  For  there  is  no  certain  and  constant  distinction  made  between 
one  man  and  another  in  the  distribution  of  things  in  this  world ;  but 
they  all  fare  alike,  especially  in  public  calamities.  A  righteous  man,  for 
instance,  perishes  in  a  battle  as  well  as  the  wicked ;  he  that  keeps 
himself  pure  and  undefiled  dies  in  a  pestilence  as  well  as  the  filthy  and 
unclean ;  he  that  worships  God  in  sincerity  and  truth  suffers  by 
storms,  shipwrecks,  and  inundations,  &c.,  as  well  as  a  profane  person 
or  a  hypocrite  :  and,  on  the  contrary,  a  blasphemer  of  God,  nay,  a  per- 
jured wretch,  prospers  and  thrives  as  much  as  he  that  dreads  the  holy 
name  of  God,  and  dare  not  rashly,  much  less  falsely,  take  it  into  his 
mouth."  Patrick.  The  rendering  of  Stuart,  "  all  are  like  to  all," 
does  not  well  accord  with  the  meaning  of  nriiiS,  Uterally,  according  to 

what,  that  which,  is  to  all.  In  regard  to  the  seeming  inconsistency  of 
the  Preacher,  see  the  Introduction  (pp.  105, 106,  &c.).  — to  the  clean,  and 
to  the  unclean.  There  is  probably  reference  here  to  legal  purity  or  im- 
purity, according  to  the  statutes  of  the  Mosaic  code.  Of  the  difficulty 
in  regard  to  the  Divine  government  arising  from  the  facts  which  he 
here  states,  the  author  proposes  no  solution.     He  says  expressly,  that 


ECCLESIASTES.  311 

he  cannot  find  out  or  comprehend  the  work  of  God  in  regard  to  it. 
The  solution  which  occurs  to  the  mind  of  the  Christian  does  not  appear 
to  have  occurred  to  him.  He  seems  rather  to  deny  a  future  life  in  the 
following  verses,  namely,  5  and  6.  A  Christian,  stating  such  facts, 
would  naturally  be  led  to  speak  of  a  retribution  after  death,  and  to 
excite  his  readers  to  look  to  it,  as  a  motive  to  perseverance  in  well- 
doing, and  a  relief  to  his  doubts  or  difficulties  relating  to  the  govern- 
ment of  God.  The  only  inference  which  the  author  seems  to  draw 
from  the  perplexing  facts  which  he  states  is,  that  it  is  best  to  give  up 
all  anxiety  about  such  dark  and  difficult  subjects,  and  to  enjoy  the 
good  things  of  hfe  while  they  last.  From  what  the  writer  asserts,  and 
from  what  he  omits  in  the  first  ten  verses  of  this  chapter,  it  seems  very 
doubtful  whether  lie  had  any  belief  in  a  desirable  future  life,  or  a  state 
of  retribution  after  death.  Some  writers  among  the  Jews  and  Chris- 
tians have  supposed  these  verses  to  be  spoken  in  the  character  of  an 
impious  Epicurean.  But  there  seems  to  be  no  ground  for  this  supposi- 
tion. The  writer  is  speaking  of  what  he  liimself  searched  out  (ver.  1), 
and  not  of  what  an  objector  might  say.  On  the  difficulty  presented 
by  this  passage  and  similar  ones,  in  relation  to  the  mode  in  which  the 
author  reconciles  the  sentiments  contained  in  it  with  his  own  doctrine 
of  retribution  as  elsewhere  expressed,  "  that  it  shall  be  well  with  them 
that  fear  God,"  and  that  "  it  shall  not  be  well  with  the  wicked,"  and 
that  "  God  will  bring  every  work  into  the  judgment,  which  there  is 
upon  every  secret  thing,  whether  it  be  good,  or  whether  it  be  evil," 
ch.  viii.  12,  13;  xii.  14,  — see  the  Introduction  (pp.  105-109). 

3.  — madness,  &c. ;  i.e.,  great  wickedness.  The  sentiment  of  the 
verse  is  the  same  as  that  in  ch.  viii.  11.  —  and  afterward;  i.e.,  after 
the  vicissitudes  of  life.  —  iheij  go  down  to  the  dead.  This  may  be  added 
to  illustrate  the  vanity  of  human  things,  or  to  illustrate  the  sentiment, 
that  a  common  lot  happens  to  the  righteous  and  the  wicked ;  both  being 
under  the  necessity  of  going  down  to  the  dead. 

4.  For  ivho  is  there  that  is  excepted;  i.e.,  exempted  from  death. 
—  there  is  hope.  However  miserable  may  be  a  man's  condition  while 
living,  he  has  this  advantage  over  the  dead,  that  he  can  hope  for  a 
change  for  the  better.     (Corap.  Job  vii.  6-10.) 

5.  —  know  that  they  shall  die.  They  know  that  they  must  die,  and 
of  course  they  know  and  feel  that  they  are  alive,  and  may  have  much 
enjoyment  before  death  arrives.  — advantage;  i.e.,  from  their  pos- 
sessions, &c.,  all  of  which  are  left  to  their  heirs.  — for  their  memory  is 
forgotten;  i.e.,  so  far  are  they  from  having  any  enjoyment  of  their  pos 
sessions,  that  it  is  altogether  forgotten  by  their  successors  that  such 
persons  ever  lived. 


312  NOTES. 

6.  —  which  taketh  place  under  the  sun.  Some  have  erroneously  sup- 
posed that  this  expression  is  used  in  contradistinction  to  another  world, 
in  which  tlie  dead  might  hare  a  portion.  But  the  phrase  is  not  used 
in  this  emphatic  sense.  Tims,  in  ch.  i.  9,  the  author  says,  "  There  is 
no  new  thing  under  the  sun."  (See  also  ch.  ii.  18.)  When  I  consider 
that  this  description  of  death,  as  the  end  of  man's  activity,  faculties, 
feelings,  and  enjoyments,  is  made  without  any  qualification ;  that  it 
follows  the  statement  of  the  mysterious  conduct  of  Providence  in  allot- 
ting the  condition  of  the  righteous  and  the  wicked ;  and  that,  instead 
of  being  followed  by  any  reference  to  a  future  life,  by  way  of  encour- 
agement to  the  virtuous,  or  of  terror  to  the  wicked,  or  of  explanation 
of  the  Divine  proceedings,  it  makes  the  certainty  of  death  only  a  motive 
for  enjoying  the  present  life,  while  it  lasts,  —  it  is  very  diflBcult  for  me 
to  believe,  that  the  doctrine  of  a  desirable  future  life,  or  of  a  retribution 
after  death,  was  a  part  of  the  faith  of  the  Preacher.  (See  the  caption 
to  Job  xii. ) 

7.  Go  thy  way,  &c.  "  And  therefore,  shaking  off  both  all  anxious 
cares,  and  also  all  perplexing  thoughts  about  God's  providence  (ver.  1), 
excite  thyself  by  the  remembrance  of  death  to  a  cheerful  enjoyment 
of  those  good  things  present  which  thou  justly  possessest;  use  them, 
while  thou  hast  them,  with  a  well-pleased,  contented,  nay,  joyful 
mind."  Patrick.  (Comp.  ch.  ii.  24,  and  the  note.)  — for  long  since 
hath  God  been  pleased  with  thy  works;  i.e.,  with  thy  labors,  and  given 
them  success ;  and,  by  giving  you  the  means  of  cheerful  enjoyment, 
shown  his  intention  that  you  should  use  them. 

8.  —  fjamients  be  always  ichite.  This  is  an  exhortation  to  cheerful- 
ness and  joy ;  as  it  was  the  custom  for  the  rich  and  powerful  to  robe 
themselves  in  white  cotton,  especially  on  festival  days.  (See  Jahn's 
Archaeology,  §  119;  also  Esther  viii.  15;  Rev.  iii.  4,  5;  vi.  11.  See 
also  Hor.,  Sat.  ii.  2,  60.) 

"  lUe  repotia.  natales,  aliosve  dierum 
Festos  albatus  celebret." 

— fragrant  oil;  which  it  was  the  custom  of  the  Hebrews  to  pour  upon 
their  heads  on  days  of  rejoicing  and  festivity.  (See  Isa.  Lxi.  3;  Amos 
vi.  6 ;  Ps.  xxiii.  5.) 

9.  Enjoy  life  with  the  wife  whom  thou  lovest.  "  Seek  for  such  a  wife  as 
thou  canst  love ;  and,  when  thou  hast  her,  dehght  thyself  in  her  com- 
pany, with  such  unalterable  kindness  as  may  help  to  sweeten  the 
afflictions  to  which  we  are  subject."  Patrick.  — thy  portion;  the  en- 
joyment of  wliat  you  obtain  by  your  labor  is  all  that  you  can  call  your 


ECCLESIASTES.  313 

own.  You  can  take  nothing  with  yon  when  you  go  down  to  the  grave. 
(See  ch.  viii.  15.)  "Here  is  a  new  proof  that  this  is  not  the  speech 
of  voluptuiiries ;  for  they  love  not  to  be  confined  to  a  wife,  as  the 
Preacher  here  advises  this  happy  man  to  be ;  making  her  his  partner 
in  all  the  joys  and  comforts  he  hath,  as  she  will  be  in  his  grief  and 
sorrows."     Patrick. 

10.  — thy  hand  Jindeth  to  do;  i.e.,  what  thou  hast  opportunity  and 
ability  to  do  at  present,  without  scheming  and  anxiety  respecting  the 
future.  Here  the  Preacher  makes  it  evident,  that  he  does  not  persuade 
men  to  an  idle  and  sensual  lite,  but  only  to  a  sober  enjoyment  of  their 
blessings  in  an  industrious  prosecution  of  their  vocations. 

Ch.  IX.  11 -XI.  6.  The  Preacher  now  adduces  a  new  illustration 
of  the  vanity  of  human  life  in  the  circumstances,  that  success  does  not 
always  answer  to  a  man's  strength,  wisdom,  and  other  advantages ; 
and  that  wisdom,  Avith  all  its  benefits  to  the  public,  ot\en  brings  but 
little  consideration  to  its  possessor.  He  adds  various  proverbs  showing 
tlie  advantages  of  wisdom  and  prudence.  He  speaks  of  the  evil  oi 
rulers  unfit  for  their  stations,  and  gives  various  maxims  for  the  regu- 
lation of  conduct  in  private  and  public.  This  section  closes  with  a 
recommendation  of  liberality  to  the  poor,  and  diligent  exertion,  without 
an  over-anxious  .solicitude  respecting  the  issue  of  our  labors. 

11.  — nor  favor  to  men  of  knouiedge;  i.e.,  the  esteem  and  respect  of 
mankind  are  not  alway-s  gained  by  the  wise.  Sometimes  neglect, 
envy,  and  hatred  are  their,  portion.  —  time  and  chance.  In  this  con- 
nection the  author  has  in  mind  a  time  of  misfortune,  an  unfortunate 
chance  or  occurrence.  Lord  Bacon,  as  quoted  by  Patrick,  remarks 
upon  the  maxim,  '-Faber  quisque  fortunie  snse,  "Every  man  makes 
his  own  fortune,"  that  we  ought  to  look  upon  it  as  "an  insolent  and 
unlucky  saying,  except  it  be  uttered  as  an  hortative  or  spur  to  correct 
sloth.  For  otherwise,  if  it  be  believed  as  it  sounds,  and  a  man  enters 
into  a  high  imagination  that  he  can  compass  and  fathom  all  accidents, 
and  ascribes  all  successes  to  his  own  drift  and  reaches,  and  the  con- 
trary to  his  errors  and  sUppings,  it  is  a  profane  speech ;  and  it  is  com- 
monly seen,  that  the  evening  fortune  of  that  man  is  not  so  prosperous 
as  of  him  that,  without  slacking  his  industry,  attributeth  much  to 
felicity  and  providence  above  him." 

12.  —  knoweth  not  his  time.  We  need  not  confine  this  remark  exclu- 
sively to  the  time  of  one's  death.  It  more  probably  refers  to  the  time 
of  any  misfortune  or  calamity.  Some  understand  it  in  the  sense  of 
suitable  time  or  opportunity ;  ei'Koipiav. 

11 


314  NOTES. 

Ii8.  —  even  wisdom ;  i.e.,  I  liave  observed  the  nature  and  effects  of 
wisdom,  and  estimated  its  exceeding  value. 

15.  —  yet  no  man  remembered,  &c. ;  i.e.,  no  man  thought  of  him  after 
the  danger  was  past.  Tlius  the  remark  in  ver.  11  is  illustrated,  that 
favor  is  not  always  to  the  wise. 

17.  —  are  sooner  heard;  i.e.,  in  times  of  danger  and  distress,  though 
they  may  be  disregarded  in  times  of  prosperity.  — foolish ;  literally, 
who  is  among  fools.  So  in  Ps.  cxviii.  7,  the  literal  rendering  is,  Jehovah 
is  among  my  helpers ;  i.e.,  Jehovah  is  my  helper.  (See  Gesen.  Lex.  on  the 
preposition  S.) 

18.  But  one  offender ;  i.e.,  against  the  rules  of  wisdom  and  prudence, 
as  the  connection  seems  to  reqiiire.  One  man,  by  his  rashness  and 
imprudence,  may  bring  ruin,  not  only  upon  himself,  but  upon  many, 
even  upon  whole  nations. 

Ch.  X.  1.  —  nauseous ;  more  strictly,  fetid.  —  a  little  folly.  The 
Preacher  seems  in  this  verse  to  intend  to  illustrate  the  evil  which  a 
foolish  man  may  occasion  to  the  cause  in  which  he  is  engaged.  He  is 
a  marplot,  and  often  does  more  mischief  than  many  wise  counsellors 
can  remedy.  Otherwise,  a  little  folly  in  the  wise  man  destroys  the 
fruits  of  his  own  Avisdom,  and  ruins  his  reputation.  The  rendering  of 
the  Common  Version,  which  has  no  better  support  from  the  Hebrew 
than  mine,  is  less  agreeable  to  the  connection. 

2.  —  wise  man's  mind;  literally, /«r-a?7,  which  was  regarded  as  the  seat 
of  the  mind  by  the  Hebrews,  as  the  brain  is  by  the  moderns.  —  at  his 
right  hand ;  i.e.,  he  can  use  his  mind  to  some  purpose,  can  exercise  a 
ready  judgment  on  every  occasion  ;  as  men  in  general  can  readily  and 
efficiently  use  their  right  hand,  but  not  their  left. 

3.  —  walketh  in  the  way.  I  should  understand  this  literally  of  the 
gait,  behavior,  and  talk  of  a  person,  as  he  passes  through  the  streets. 
—  saitli,  &c. ;  i.e.,  by  his  behavior,  that  he  is  himself  a  fool.  Other- 
wise, saith  of  every  one^  &c.,  he  thinks  and  declares  that  all  are  fools 
except  himself. 

4.  —  leave  not  thy  place;  i.e.,  in  anger  and  discontent.  Do  not  aban- 
don his  service  hastily  and  rashly,  but  continue  in  the  faithful  and  quiet 
discharge  of  the  duties  of  thy  station.  (Comp.  ch.  viii.  3.)  — great 
offences;  i.e.,  such  as  he  supposes  thou  hast  committed  against  him. 
Let  not,  therefore,  a  false  opinion  of  implacability  make  thee  des- 
perate, and  draw  thee  into  rebellion. 

5.  — from  a  ruler;  in  appointing  unworthy  and  incapable  persons 


ECCLESIASTES.  315 

to  places  of  honor  and  power ;  or  in  suffering  tliem  to  rise  to  such 
places. 

6.  —  set  in  many  high  stations ;  i.e.,  raised  to  honorable  stations. 
—  the  noble ;  in  character,  birth,  and  advantages  of  possessing  wisdom, 
which  it  is  here  presumed  that  they  have  used.  "  Many  kings,"  says 
Grotius,  "suspect  those  who  are  distinguished  for  nobility  or  wisdom 
or  wealth."  "  Aliena  illis  virtus  formidolosa  est,"  "  The  virtue  of 
others  is  feared  by  them."     Sallust. 

7.  —  servants  upon  horses;  i.e.,  slaves  who  had  been  raised  from  their 
servile  condition  to  such  eminent  stations,  that  they  rode  upon  horses. 
Riding  upon  horses  was  regarded  as  the  privilege  of  the  higher  ranks 
in  the  East.  (See  Jer.  xvii.  25;  Ezek.  xxiii.  23.)  — princes;  i.e., 
persons  of  high  rank  and  former  opulence,  who  have  been  depressed 
by  the  injustice  of  the  ruler.  It  has  been  observed  by  several  writers, 
that  persons  of  high  rank  and  opulence  in  the  East,  at  the  present  day, 
are  distinguished  from  their  inferiors  by  riding  on  horseback  when  they 
go  abroad ;  while  those  of  meaner  stations,  if  not  on  foot,  are  obhged 
to  content  themselves  with  the  ass  or  the  mule. 

8.  He  that  diggeth  a  pit,  &c.  The  proverbs  which  follow  (to  ver. 
20)  have  been  supposed  to  be  cautions  against  sedition  and  rebellion 
against  kings,  having  reference  to  ver.  4.  But  such  an  application  of 
them  is  rather  forced  and  arbitrary.  It  seems  more  probable  that  they 
are  general  maxims  for  the  wise  conduct  of  life,  in  the  midst  of  the 
vanities  and  dangers  of  the  world,  which  the  Preacher  has  described. 
(See  Prov.  xxvi.  27.)  —  breaketh down  a  wall;  i.e.,  with  the  design  of 
stealing  fruits.  —  a  serpent ;  such  as  is  usually  found  in  hedges.  The 
proverb  shows  the  evil  consequences  of  dishonesty  to  him  that  prac- 
tises it. 

9.  Whoso  removeth  stones,  &c. ;  i.e.,  from  their  earth-bed  great  stones, 
for  the  handling  of  which  their  strength  is  insufficient.  The  design  of 
both  the  proverbs  in  this  verse  is  to  show  that  rash  and  imprudent 
men,  who  engage  in  difficult  and  dangerous  undertakings,  often  injure 
themselves  thereby.  —  cleaveth  wood,  &c.  This  proverb  amounts  to 
the  same  thing  with  the  common  one,  that  it  is  dangerous  to  meddle 
with  edge-tools. 

10.  If  the  iron  be  blunt,  &c.  "  This  is  sufficient  to  show  how  unprofit- 
able all  our  endeavors  are  without  true  judgment.  For  as  a  rusty  tool, 
though  managed  by  the  strongest  man,  is  so  far  from  effecting  his  de- 
sires that  it  only  tires  his  arm,  unless  he  file  and  whet  it  to  recover  its 
edge ;  so  all  the  power  in  the  world  rather  hurts  than  advantages  him 
that  has  it,  unless  it  be  guided  and  directed  by  prudence."  Patrick. 
rSeech.  ix.  16,  18.) 


316  NOTES. 

11.  If  a  serpent  bite,  &c.  This  proverb  is  in  commendation  of  wis- 
dom. As  the  poison  of  the  serpent  is  avoided  only  by  the  utmost  care 
and  circumspection,  so  is  it  with  the  dangers  arising  from  intercourse 
witli  men.  It  is  equivalent  to  the  common  one,  that  an  ounce  of  pre- 
vention is  worth  a  pound  of  cure.  It  is  too  late  to  begin  to  enchant 
when  the  poisonous  bite  is  given.  Perhaps  there  may  be  reference  to 
the  avoiding  of  danger  from  the  powerful  by  turning  away  their  wrath 
with  concihating  language.  (See  the  next  verse.)  —  the  charmer,  liter- 
ally, the  lord  of  the  tongue,  has  in  this  case  no  advantage  from  his  art, 
but  ratlier  severe  injury.  (Comp.  Sirach  xii.  13;  Ps.  Iviii.  4,  5;  Jer. 
viii.  17.)  For  some  very  remarkable  accounts  given  by  travellers  in 
Egypt  and  the  East,  respecting  the  power  which  certain  persons  pos- 
sess of  charming  serpents,  and  depriving  them  of  the  power  of  poison- 
ing by  music  and  other  means,  see  Robinson's  Calmet,  art.  "  luchant- 
ments." 

12.  —  gracious ;  i.e.,  mild,  kind,  agreeable,  and  thus  conciliate  favor; 
while  those  of  the  fool  are  harsh  and  offensive,  and  bring  evil  upon 
him. 

13.  The  beginning,  &c. ;  i.e.,  All  his  talk,  from  beginning  to  end,  is 
folly,  and  he  proceeds  from  bad  to  worse,  from  folly  to  rage,  which  ends 
in  mischief  to  himself  or  to  others. 

14.  —  multiplieth  words,  &c.  The  Preacher  seems  to  allude  to  the 
folly  of  those  great  talkers  who  speak  with  confidence  of  their  inten- 
tions and  plans  for  the  future,  or  who  are  fond  of  predicting  what  will 
happen  in  time  to  come.  —  irhat  shall  be  after  him.  This  phrase  seems 
to  mean,  ivhat  shall  happen  to  him  in  future.     (Comp,  vi.  12,  viii.  7.) 

15.  —  hioweth  not  how  to  go  to  the  city.  This  language  probably  had 
the  emphasis  and  point  of  a  proverb.  To  go  to  the  city  is  an  instance  of 
what  ought  to  be  familiar  and  well  known.  The  meaning  is,  that  the 
foolish  man,  in  his  labors  and  pursuits,  is  like  a  traveller  ignorant  of 
the  road,  who,  in  going  to  a  city,  takes  difficult,  troublesome,  or 
dangerous  circuits,  which  bring  him  no  nearer  to  the  end  of  his 
journey. 

16.  —  king  is  a  child.  This  may  be  understood  literally,  as  setting 
forth  the  evils  of  having  a  child  for  a  king.  But  I  should  rather  under- 
stand it  of  a  king  resembling  a  child  in  disposition,  character,  and 
conduct ;  one  who  gives  himself  up  to  amusements,  and  neglects  the 
weighty  concerns  of  government.  Rosenmiiller  quotes  from  the  Arabic 
Anthology  a  similar  proverb  :  "  The  blow  of  an  axe  upon  the  head  is 
lighter  than  tbe  government  of  one  of  the  young  colts."  — feast  in  the 
viorning.    Jalm,  in  his  Archajology,  §  145,  says,  "  Not  only  the  inhabi- 


ECCLESIASTES.  317 

tants  of  the  East  generally,  but  the  Greeks  and  Romans  also,  were  in 
the  habit  of  taking  a  slight  dinner  about  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  of  our 
time,  which  consisted  of  fruits,  milk,  cheese,  &c.  Their  principal  meal 
was  about  six  or  seven  in  the  afternoon."  Hence,  to  eat,  i.e.,  to  feast, 
in  t/ie  morning  was  regarded  as  intemperance,  and  as  consuming  the 
time  which  ought  to  be  devoted  to  affairs  of  government.  (Comp. 
Isa.  V.  11;  Acts  ii.  13-15.) 

17.  —  a  noble;  i.e.,  resembles  those  who  are  truly  noble  in  disposi- 
tion and  character,  according  to  a  well-known  Hebraism. 

19.  —  money  answereth  all  things ;  i.e.,  procures,  supplies,  all  things. 
From  the  condemnation  of  idleness  the  Preacher  passes  to  the  com- 
mendation of  that  which  is  procured  by  diligence,  i.e.,  money;  affirm- 
ing that,  while  of  other  good  things  one  procures  one  advantage  and 
another  another,  money  procures  all.     So  Hor.,  Epist.  i.  6,  36  :  — 

"  Scilicet  uxorem  cum  dote,  fidemque,  et  amicos, 
Et  genus,  et  formam,  regina  pecunia  donat." 

20.  There  is  probably  no  allusion  here  to  the  custom  of  sending  let- 
ters by  pigeons,  as  some  suppose.  The  idea  is,  that  the  king  will  get 
intelligence  of  what  is  said  against  him  in  some  unknown  and  unsus- 
pected way,  as  if  a  bird  of  the  air  was  passing  by  the  window  and  car- 
ried it.  There  are  in  English  the  proverbs,  "  Hedges  have  ears ; "  and 
"  The  walls  will  speak." 

Ch.  XI.  1.  Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters.  There  can  be  little  doubt 
that  tliis  verse  is  a  recommendation  of  liberality  in  giving  to  the  needy ; 
but,  respecting  the  explanation  of  the  proverb,  there  are  different  opin- 
ions. Some  suppose  the  allusion  is  to  the  planting  of  corn  or  rice  upon 
wet  places,  or  such  as  are  even  covered  with  water,  which  yield  an 
abundant  harvest.  The  objection  to  this  is,  that,  if  there  be  an  allu- 
sion to  any  custom  of  this  kind,  it  would  not  be  practised  without  the 
confident  expectation  of  a  harvest;  in  which  case  the  precept  would 
relate  to  industry  rather  than  to  generosity.  Besides,  the  language  is, 
"  Cast  tliy  bread,"  &c.,  not  thy  grain.  It  may  not  be  amiss  to  observe, 
that  the  cakes  of  the  Hebrews  were  thin  and  light,  such  as  would  float 
for  a  time  on  the  water.  "The  cakes  when  made  were  round,  and 
nine  or  ten  inches  in  diameter.  The  unleavened  cakes  were  not 
thicker  than  a  knife,  but  the  leavened  were  as  thick  as  a  man's  little 
finger.  Hence  they  Avere  not  cut  with  a  knife,  but  broken."  (Jahn's 
Archaeology,  §  140.)  Thus  the  meaning  of  the  proverb  may  be,  Be- 
stow thy  gifts  with  the  utmost  liberality,  even  upon  those  who,  by  rea- 
son of  their  ingratitude  or  their  extreme  poverty,  may  seem  to  be  as 


318  NOTES. 

unlikely  to  make  any  returns  to  thee  as  the  water  upon  which  it  might 
be  cast.  Win  the  good-will  of  all,  even  of  the  lowest,  by  acts  of  kind- 
ness. You  may  receive  a  return  from  them  ;  if  not,  you  will  be  re- 
warded by  God.  Rosenmiiller  observes  that  the  Arabs  have  a  similar 
proverb:  "Do  good;  throw  bread  into  the  water;  it  will  one  day  be 
repaid  thee."  The  Turks  have  borrowed  it  from  the  Arabs,  with  a 
sHght  alteration:  "Do  good;  throw  bread  into  the  water;  even  if  the 
fis^li  does  not  know,  yet  the  Creator  knows  it." 

2.  —  a  jiortion ;  i.e.,  a  part  of  thy  good  things  or  provisions.  —  to 
seven,  &c. ;  i.e.,  to  many,  not  limiting  your  beneficence,  except  by  your 
ability.  (Comp.  Mic.  v.  5.)  — thou  knoivest  not  what  evil,  &c. ;  i.e., 
some  calamity  may  strip  thee  of  thy  property,  and  make  thee  an  object 
of  charity,  when  thou  mayst  receive  aid  from  some  one  of  those  whose 
good-will  thou  hast  secured  by  thy  beneficence. 

3.  When  the  clouds,  &c.  As  both  clauses  of  this  verse  seem  designed 
to  express  the  same  thought,  the  meaning  seems  to  be,  that  calamities, 
referred  to  in  the  preceding  verse,  will  certainly  come  ;  that  they  can- 
not be  prevented  by  any  foresight,  or  remedied  by  human  care ;  and 
that  what  cannot  be  cured  must  be  endured.  When  the  cloud  is  full, 
the  rain  will  fall,  without  regard  to  our  wishes ;  and  where  the  tree 
has  fallen,  there  it  will  stay,  whether  we  like  it  or  not.  (Comp. 
ver.  6.) 

4.  —  watcheth  the  wind,  &c.  This  proverb  may  imply  a  recommen- 
dation not  to  be  overscrupulous  in  the  exercise  of  charity.  But  it  is, 
perhaps,  more  probable  that  it  relates  to  human  conduct  in  general, 
in  relation  both  to  business  and  duty.  He  that  is  deterred  from  any 
undertaking  by  every  appearance  of  hazard  or  inconvenience  will  never 
accomphsh  any  thing ;  as  he  that  will  not  sow  till  the  wind  comes  from 
exactly  the  right  quarter  may  let  the  seed-time  pass  by  ;  and  he  that 
will  not  reap  because  he  is  afraid  of  every  cloud  that  threatens  rain 
may  lose  his  harvest. 

5.  —  the  way  of  the  wind;  i.e.,  whence  it  comes  and  whither  it  goes. 
(Comp.  John  iii.  8.)  Both  of  the  images  in  this  verse  are  designed  to 
set  forth  the  incomprehensibility  of  Providence,  or  the  uncertainty  how 
God  will  order  the  course  of  things,  what  evil  he  will  send,  or  what 
good,  whether  storms  or  sunshine,  rain  or  drought,  or  whether  life 
itself  will  be  continued.  The  inference  seems  to  be,  that  we  are  to  be 
active  in  duty  and  business,  and  leave  events  to  the  care  of  Provi- 
dence. 

6.  —  whether  this  shall  prosper,  or  that ;  i.e.,  that  which  is  sown  early, 
or  that  which  is  sown  late.     (See  the  note  on  ver.  4  and  5.) 


ECCLESIASTES.  319 

Ch.  XI.  7 -XII.  8.  Ill  this  portion  of  the  boolc  tlie  Preacher  passes 
to  a  new  topic,  and  exhorts  to  a  cheerful  enjoyment  of  Hfe  wliile  it 
lasts,  in  the  participation  of  pleasures  which  in  their  nature  and  degree 
are  consistent  with  the  thought  of  retribution  and  the  remembrance  of 
the  Creator.  The  consideration  of  the  long  night  of  death  and  the 
grievous  infirmities  of  age  are  urged  as  a  reason  for  dispelling  anxiety 
and  sorrow  while  the  opportunity  for  enjoyment  lasts.  (Conip.  ch.  ii. 
24,  and  the  note.) 

7.  —  the  light,  &c. ;  i.e.,  lite  is  dear  to  all.  To  see  the  light,  to  be- 
hold the  sun,  is  figurative  language  for  to  live. 

8.  —  let  him  rejoice  in  them  all ;  i.e.,  let  him  not  indulge  in  anxiety 
and  gloom,  but  take  all  the  enjoyment  which  life  can  give,  since  it  is  the 
only  opportunity  for  enjoyment.  (Comp.  iii.  12.)  —  the  dai/s  of  dark- 
ness; i.e.,  the  long  night  of  death  which  succeeds  life.  (Comp.  Job  x. 
21 ;  Ps.  Ixxxviii.  12.)  All  that  cometh  is  vanity.  The  connection  seems 
to  show  the  meaning  to  be,  All  the  future,  after  tlie  present  life  is 
closed,  is  vanity  or  nothingness.     (Comp.  ch.  ix.  4-6.) 

9.  Rejoice,  0  young  man  !  in  thy  yonth  ;  i.e.,  in  the  time  of  thy  youth. 
This  verse  is  commonly  understood  in  an  ironical  sense,  like  the  lan- 
guage of  Elijah  to  the  priests  of  Baal,  "  Cry  aloud,  for  he  is  a  god." 
But  from  the  connection  in  which  the  verse  stands,  and  from  a  com- 
parison of  it  with  other  passages  in  the  book,  in  which  the  writer 
recommends  present  enjoyment,  in  opposition  to  anxious  care,  as  a  man's 
only  portion  in  the  midst  of  the  vanities  and  uncertainties  of  life,  it  is 
far  more  probable  that  the  exhortation  is  serious.  (See  ch.  ii.  10,  24; 
iii.  12,  13,  22;  v.  18;  vi.  9  ;  vii.  14  ;  viii.  15;  ix.  7--9.)  So  the  verse  is 
understood  by  Jerome,  Martin  Luther,  Bishop  Patrick,  and  other  in- 
terpreters. The  Preacher  regards  the  season  of  youth  as  the  peculiar 
season  of  enjoyment ;  but  he  would  have  all  the  pleasures  of  youth  con- 
secrated by  the  remembrance  of  the  Creator,  being  innocent  in  their 
nature,  and  pursued  only  to  such  an  extent  as  is  consistent  with  the 
Creator's  laws,  and  with  the  retribution  which  attends  the  violation  of 
them.  The  expression,  "  Walk  in  the  ways  of  thy  heart  and  in  the 
sight  of  thine  eyes,"  to  one  accustomed  to  the  Christian  sentiment  of 
faith  in  a  future  life,  would  seem  at  first  to  be  used  in  an  ironical  sense. 
But  it  is  susceptible  of  a  good  one,  namely,  Pursue  such  things  as  will 
gratify  your  desires  and  delight  j'our  senses  ;  and  the  necessary  quali- 
fication is  immediately  added,  namely,  that  the  pursuit  of  enjoyment 
is  to  be  in  consistency  with  the  thought  of  judgment  or  retribution  from 
God ;  that  he  will  bring  us  into  judgment  in  relation  to  the  virtuous 
use  or  sinful  abuse  of  our  blessings.     The  laws  of  the  Creator,  and  the 


320  NOTES. 

penalties  or  consequences  annexed  to  their  violation,  are  to  be  kept  in 
mind.  In  Numb.  xv.  39,  "  to  seek  after  one's  own  heart,  and  one's 
own  eyes,"  is  used  in  express  opposition  to  "  remembering  the  com- 
mandments of  the  Lord,"  and  of  course  should  have  no  influence 
on  the  explanation  of  these  phrases  when  used  in  a  diflerent  con- 
nection. 

10.  —  sorroio from  thy  heait,  —  evUfromthy  body.  The  connection,  as 
well  as  such  passages  as  ch.  ix.  7-9,  and  others  referred  to  in  the  pre- 
ceding note,  seems  to  require  us  to  understand  the  verse  as  an  exhorta- 
tion to  banish  anxiety  and  sorrow  from  the  mind,  and  from  the  body 
whatever  is  painful  or  noxious  ;  in  other  words,  to  recommend  a  cheer- 
ful enjoyment  of  life,  from  the  consideration,  that  the  season  of  youth 
is  transitory,  passing  away  hke  a  vapor. 

Ch.  XII.  1.  Remember,  &c.  This  sentiment  is  to  be  connected  with 
what  goes  before.  Youth  is  not  only  the  season  of  enjoyment,  but  of 
religion.  In  that  interesting  period  of  life,  cheerfulness  and  joy  are  to 
be  cherished,  the  pleasures  of  life  are  to  be  enjoyed,  sorrow  and  pain 
are  to  be  banished  ;  but  the  whole  conduct  in  relation  to  these  things 
is  to  be  regulated  by  the  remembrance  of  tlie  Creator,  of  the  intimate 
relation  in  which'  the  creature  stands  to  him,  of  the  blessings  which  he 
has  received  from  him,  of  the  duties  which  he  owes  to  him,  and  of  the 
judgment  appointed  by  him,  into  Avhich  he  is  to  be  brought. 

2.  In  ver.  1,  the  Preacher  has  exhorted  the  young  to  remember  the 
Creator  in  the  peculiar  season  of  their  enjoyments  and  capacities,  which 
is  also  the  season  of  their  temptations,  before  the  troubles  and  infirm- 
ities of  age  should  arrive.  He  now  proceeds  to  give,  in  figurative  or 
what  may  be  called  enigmatical  language,  a  more  particular  description 
of  the  troubles,  decays,  and  infirmities  of  old  age.  —  sun,  and  the  light, 
&c.  I  do  not  understand  this  of  the  dim-sightedness  of  men,  which 
is  alluded  to  in  the  next  verse.  The  images  in  this  verse  rather  set 
forth  the  gloom  and  sadness  which  belong  to  old  age,  when  every 
thing  looks  dark  and  cheerless.  —  and  the  clouds  return  after  the  rain; 
i.e.,  when  one  trouble  seems  to  tread  upon  the  heels  of  another,  caus- 
ing continual  sadness ;  when  after  the  rain  no  sunshine  succeeds,  but 
only  perpetual  clouds. 

3.  Here  the  decay  and  infirmities  of  the  human  body  in  age  are  com- 
pared to  a  house  decayed  and  falling  into  ruin.  (Comp.  Job  iv.  19; 
2  Cor.  V.  1.)  —  keepers  of  the  house ;  i.e.,  the  arms,  which  guard  the  body 
from  injury,  defend  it  from  assault,  supply  it  with  food,  &c.,  and  which 
are  subject  to  weakness  and  trembling  in  age.     —  strong  men ;  i.e.,  the 


ECCLESIASTES.  321 

tliighs  and  legs,  on  which  the  body  rests  for  support,  but  which  in  old 
men  become  feeble,  bent  in  walking,  and  unfit  for  their  office.  —  and 
the  grinders  cease.  The  image  is  drawn  from  grinding  by  the  hand' 
mill,  which  was  performed  by  Hebrew  servants  in  the  house.  (Exod. 
xi.  5.)  — cease;  i.e.,  cease  to  grind.  It  represents  the  teeth  of  the 
aged  man,  which  are  too  few  to  discharge  their  office  of  preparing  the 
food  for  the  stomach.  —  those  that  look  out  of  the  windows  ;  i.e.,  the  eyes 
which  look  through  the  cavities  of  the  head  in  which  they  are  placed, 
as  it  were  through  the  windows  of  a  house.  They  are  said  to  be 
darkened,  in  reference  to  the  dimness  of  sight  common  to  the  aged. 
(Comp.  Gen.  xxvii.  1;  xlviii.  10.) 

4.  —  when  the  doors  are  shut  in  the  streets,  &c.  Some  understand  this 
literally  of  the  doors  of  the  old  man's  habitation,  in  reference  to  his 
remaining  at  home.  But  it  seems  best  to  understand  it  allegorically 
of  his  lips,  which  are  elsewhere  in  the  Scriptures  called  doors.  (See 
Job  xU.  14;  Mic.  vii.  5.)  — sound  of  the  mill,  &c.  The  mill  seems 
to  denote  the  inner  part  of  the  mouth,  which  gives  forth  a  low  sound 
when  the  old  man  speaks.  The  meaning  is,  that  the  old  man  seldom 
opens  his  mouth  to  speak,  as  liis  voice  is  weak  and  faint.  —  rise  up  at 
the  voice  of  the  bird.  The  aged  man's  restlessness  or  difficulty  of  enjoy- 
ing soimd  and  long  sleep  is"  here  described  ;  he  is  awaked  by  the  earli- 
est chirping  of  birds  in  the  morning,  and  so  compelled  to  rise.  The 
pronoun  they,  which  I  have  used  for  he  or  one,  to  make  it  conform  to 
the  following  verses,  is  impUed  in  the  previous  description  of  old  age. 
The  rendering,  "  it  riseth  to  the  voice  of  the  bird,"  seems  to  me  much 
less  probable.  —  all  the  daughters  of  music ;  all  songstresses,  all  the 
women  who  sing,  or  perhaps  all  musical  voices,  sounds,  or  songs. 
—  are  brought  loiv ;  i.e.,  sound  low,  are  not  heard  by  him,  in  conse- 
quence of  his  deafness.  So  old  Barzillai,  in  2  Sam.  xix.  35,  says, 
"  Can  I  hear  any  more  the  voice  of  singing  men  and  singing 
women  ? " 

5.  — they  are  afraid  of  that  which  is  high;  i.e.,  on  account  of  their 
weakness,  or  short  breath,  or  dizziness,  they  are  afraid  to  ascend  stairs, 
hills,  &c.  — and  terrors  are  in  the  icay ;  i.e.,  terrors  for  them.  They 
are  afraid  of  walking  in  a  common  way,  lest  they  should  stumble,  or 
meet  with  some  accident.  — and  the  almond  is  despised;  i.e.,  so  rich 
and  delicate  a  fruit  as  the  almond  is  rejected  by  the  toothless  old  man. 
Others,  with  the  Common  Version,  the  almond-tree  shall  flourish ;  refer- 
ring to  the  white  hairs  of  the  old  man.  This  does  not  agree  so  well 
with  what  follows ;  and,  besides,  it  is  said  that  the  blossoms  of  the 
almond-tree  are  not  white,  but  rose  or  flesh-colored.     ( See  Pliny,  Hist. 

14* 


322  NOTES. 

Nat.  16,  25.)  —  and  the  locust  is  a  burden;  i.e.,  the  locust,  which  was 
a  common  food  with  the  Orientals,  and  which  may  have  been  regarded 
as  of  easy  digestion,  cannot  be  eaten  or  digested  by  the  old  man.  The 
locust  would  hardly  be  mentioned  as  an  instance  of  a  very  light  thing 
resting  upon  the  old  man.  It  would  be  a  disagreeable  thing,  at  least, 
lighting  upon  any  one.  —  and  the  caper-berry  fails ;  i.e.,  to  excite  appe- 
tite, or  other  natural  desire.  See  Gesen.  Lex.  ad  verb.,  who  refers  to 
Plutarch,  Qusest.  Symp.  6,  2,  and  to  Pliny,  Hist.  Nat.  13,  23,  ib.  20, 15, 
as  showing  that  the  caper-berry  was  regarded  by  the  ancients  as  a 
provocative  of  appetite  and  lust.  The  translation  caper-berry  is  sup- 
ported by  the  Sept.,  Vulg.,  and  Syr.  Versions.  The  Common  Version 
expresses  the  sense,  but  not  the  literal  meaning.  —  since  man  goeth, 
&c. ;  i.e.,  the  aged  man  is  on  the  pomt  of  being  carried  to  the  grave, 
his  everlasting  home  (comp.  Tob.  iii.  6),  with  the  usual  mourning 
solemnities.  By  mourners  may  be  understood  not  only  the  relatives, 
but  such  liired  mourners  as  are  mentioned  in  Jer.  ix.  17,  Amos  v.  16, 
upon  which  see  the  note. 

6.  —  before  the  silver  cord  be  snapped  asunder,  and  the  golden  bowl  be 
crushed.  From  plain  language  the  Preacher  now  returns  to  that  which 
is  allegorical,  setting  forth  the  decUne  and  loss  of  the  vital  powers  in 
man  by  new  images.  The  exhortation,  "  Remember  thy  Creator,"  is 
to  be  regarded  as  repeated  at  the  beginning  of  this  verse.  The  meta- 
phor, by  Avhicli  loss  of  life  is  denoted,  is  borrowed  from  a  lamp  sus- 
pended from  a  ceiling  by  a  silver  cord.  The  golden  bowl  is  the  bowl 
or  reservoir  of  oil,  from  which  it  is  distributed  into  the  branches,  in 
which  the  wicks  are  placed  from  which  the  hght  proceeds.  (See 
Zech.  iv.  2,  and  the  note;  Job  xxix.  3,  and  the  note.)  The  cord  by 
which  this  golden  bowl  or  reservoir  of  oil  is  suspended  being  decayed 
with  age,  giving  way,  and  so  suffering  the  bowl  of  oil  to  fall  upon  the 
floor  and  be  broken,  and  thus  extinguish  the  lamps,  affords  a  striking 
image  of  the  breaking-up  of  the  human  machine,  and  the  extinction  of 
its  life,  which,  by  a  very  common  metaphor,  is  said  to  be  suspended  upon 
a  brittle  thread.  We  need  not  inquire  what  internal  part  of  the  body 
is  denoted  by  the  silver  cord  or  the  golden  bowl ;  whether  by  the 
former  is  denoted  the  spinal  marrow,  the  nerves,  the  veins,  or  arteries ; 
or  whether  by  the  golden  bowl  is  denoted  the  heart,  the  brain,  &c.,  or 
by  tks  bu(;;ket  the  lungs ;  since  it  is  extremely  doubtful  whether  the 
Preaclifcr  refers  to  either.  The  general  image  presented  by  the  break- 
ing of  the  lamp,  and  of  the  silver  cord  which  held  it  up,  sufficiently 
illustrates  the  extinction  of  Hfe.  —  or  the  bucket  broken  at  the  fountain, 
or  the  wheel  broken  at  the  well.    By  the  fountain  here  is  denoted  a  place 


ECCLESIASTES.  323 

from  which  the  water  could  be  obtained  only  by  being  drawn  up  by  a 
.bucket;  an  earthen  one  indeed,  and  used  for  carrying  water  as  well  as 
drawing  it,  but  originally  for  drawing  it,  as  appears  from  the  deriva- 
tion of  the  Hebrew  term.  The  water  could  not  be  procured  when  the 
bucket  and  the  wheel,  by  which  the  water  was  drawn  from  the  well  by 
a  line  and  bucket  appended  to  it,  were  broken.  Water-wheels  are  still 
used  in  the  East :  Niebuhr  has  given  a  pictur.e  of  one  in  his  Description 
of  Arabia.  Indeed,  water-wheels  are  not  uncommon  in  tliis  country. 
By  the  images  of  the  broken  bucket  and  wheel,  in  consequence  of  which 
no  water  could  be  procured,  are  set  forth  the  decay  and  dissolution  of 
the  human  body  tlirough  age,  by  reason  of  which  the  life  cannot 
be  retained  in  it.  Some  have  undertaken  to  point  out  what  internal 
part  of  the  body  was  denoted  by  the  bucket,  tlie  fountain,  the  wheel, 
and  the  cistern.  I  do  not  think  the  Preacher  intended  such  a  par- 
ticular application  of  the  terras ;  but  any  one  can  conjecture  as  he 
pleases. 

7.  —  and  the  dust,  &c.  This  is  the  most  literal  rendering;  and  being 
the  translation  of  the  Hebrew  conjunction  1.  —  and  the  spirit  return  to 
God  who  gave  it.  ( See  the  notes  on  ch.  iii.  19,  21. )  In  those  notes  I  have 
given  reasons  for  the  supposition,  that  by  spirit  the  author  understands 
the  vital  spirit,  which  was  breathed  into  man  by  the  Almighty  when 
he  had  formed  him  out  of  dust,  and  not  the  soul,  considered  as  having 
a  conscious  and  desirable  personal  existence.  In  view  of  the  consider- 
ations presented  in  those  notes,  it  seems  improbable  that  this  verse 
expresses  the  doctrine  of  the  immortaUty  of  the  conscious  soul  in  a 
state  of  retribution.  It  is  more  probable  that  the  expression  has  the 
same  meaning  as  in  Job  xxxiv.  14,  15 :  — 

"  Should  he  set  his  heart  against  man, 
He  would  take  back  his  spirit  and  his  breath, 
Then  would  all  flesh  expire  together ; 
Yea,  man  would  return  to  the  dust."  *• 

This  conclusion  is  strengthened  by  the  verse  which  follows.  When 
the  Apostle  Paul  proclaims  the  Christian  doctrine,  that  this  corruptible 
shall  put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal  shall  put  on  immortality,  he 
adds,  "  0  death !  where  is  thy  sting  ?  0  grave !  where  is  thy  victory  ?  " 
If  the  Preacher  had  expressed  a  similar  sentiment,  would  he  have 
added  in  the  very  next  verse.  Vanity  of  vanities,  all  is  vanity  ?  If  by 
the  return  of  the  spirit  to  God  he  had  understood  what  a  Christian 
would  now  express  by  the  language,  would  no  joy  have  been  awak- 
ened by  the  thought  1  Would  he  not  have  made  use  of  the  doctrine  for 
consolation,  in  a  discourse  upon  the  vanity  of  earthly  things  ?    Would 


324  NOTES. 

the  only  way  in  which  he  spoke  of  the  return  of  the  spirit  to  God  be 
that  of  regarding  it  as  the  consequence  of  the  breaking-up  of  the  human 
system,  the  last  act  of  the  sad  drama  of  life,  rather  than  as  the  com- 
mencement of  a  happier  existence  1    A  review  of  the  passages  in  which 
the  Preacher  alludes  to  the  condition  of  man  after  death  is,  on  the 
whole,  inconsistent  with  his  faith  in  a  retributive  immortaUty  of  the 
conscious  soul.     In  ch.  iii.  18-21,  he  complains  of  the  sad  condition  of 
man,  in  that  the  same  lot  befalls  him  which  befalls  the  brutes,  the  body 
of  each  returning  to  the  dust  out  of  which  it  was  formed ;  and  in  ver.  21 
he  asks,  "  Who  knoweth  the  spirit  of  man,  whether  it  goeth  upward, 
and  the  spirit  of  a  beast,  whether  it  goeth  downward  to  the  earth  1 " 
This  is  the  rendering  which  the  Hebrew  idiom  demands.     It  seems  to 
imply  that  some  had  maintained  there  was  a  different  residence  for  the 
spirit  of  a  man  after  death  from  that  which  was  allotted  to  brutes,  but 
that  the  writer  doubted  the  correctness  of  the  opinion.     In  the  next 
verse  the  same  doubt  is  repeated :  "  For  who  shall  bring  him  to  see 
what  shall  be  after  him  1 "     In  ch.  vi.  12,  the  writer  expresses  the 
same  doubt  in  nearly  the  same  words.     In  ch.  viii.  6-9,  the  Preacher 
reminds  the  wicked  of  a  day  of  judgment  which  he  cannot  escape ; 
but  he  evidently  has  in  view  retribution  on  earth.     In  ch.  ix.  4-6,  we 
hare  another  strong  expression  of  the  writer's  views,  which  can  hardly 
be  reconciled  with  faith  in  the  soul's  immortality  in  a  state  of  conscious 
retribution.    The  frequent  recurrence  of  his  doubts  on  this  subject,  and 
the  practical  exhortations  which  are  founded  on  them,  indicate  that  he 
had  no  faith  in  such  an  immortality  of  the  soul.     In  ch.  xi.  9  and  xii. 
14,  it  is  most  consistent  with  the  tenor  of  the  whole  book  to  regard  the 
judgment  spoken  of  as  occurring  in  the  present  world.     It  is  also  to  be 
observed,  that  language  similar  to  that  of  the  verse  on  which  we  are 
commenting  is  used  by  the  ancient  philosophers,  who  had  no  belief  in 
the  soul's  conscious  immortality.     Thus  Lucretius,  —  who,  in  lib.  iii. 
418,  &c.,  afgues  at  great  length  that  the  soul  is  mortal  like  the  body,  — 
says,  lib.  ii.  999,  &c. :  — 

"  Cedit  enim  retro,  de  terra  quod  fuit  ante, 

In  terras ;  et,  quod  missum  est  ex  aetheris  oris, 

Id  rursum  coeli  relatum  templa  receptant." 

"  For  that  which  was  from  the  earth  goes  back  to  the  earth ;  and  that 
which  was  sent  from  the  regions  of  the  air,  being  conveyed  back,  is 
again  received  into  the  temples  of  heaven."  (See  also  the  interesting 
passages  from  Greek  writers  quoted  by  Le  Clerc  ad  loc.)  Similar  ex- 
pressions might  be  used  by  Orientals,  who  now  hold  the  doctrine  of 
the  absorption  of  the  soul  into  the  Deity.    I  do  not  mean  to  intimate, 


ECCLESIASTES.  325 

however,  that  Ecclesiastes  held  this  mystical  doctrine  of  absorption. 
(See  the  note  on  ch.  iii.  19.)  I  adduce  the  passage  merely  to  show 
that  the  return  of  the  spirit  to  God,  its  author,  does  not  necessarily  im- 
ply a  conscious,  much  less  a  retributive,  immortality.  It  would  give 
any  one  pleasure,  without  doubt,  and  perhaps  strengthen  his  faith,  to 
find  the  doctrines  of  the  Christian  revelation  anticipated  by  the  Hebrew 
writers  and  by  all  other  writers ;  but  no  good  is  permanently  gained 
by  disguising  or  sacrificing  the  truth.  More  worthy  of  a  man  and  a 
Christian  is  it  to  mark  the  providence  of  God  in  the  progress  of  reli- 
gious knowledge. 

Ch.  XII.  9-14.  This  epilogue,  on  account  of  the  character  of  its 
sentiments,  is  supposed  by  some  critics  to  have  been  added  to  the  book 
by  a  later  writer  than  the  author.  But  there  does  not  appear  sufficient 
ground  for  such  a  supposition.  Knobel  regards  ver.  14  as  referring  to 
a  retribution  in  a  future  life,  and  therefore  inconsistent  with  the  gen- 
eral sentiment  of  the  book.  On  this  account  he  rejects  it  as  spurious. 
But,  if  we  consider  the  broad  and  indefinite  mode  of  expression  which 
is  characteristic  of  the  Preacher,  and  have  regard  to  the  other  pas- 
sages in  which  he  refers  to  a  judgment  for  evil-doers,  there  will  be 
no  difficulty  in  supposing  that  he  refers,  in  ver.  14,  to  temporal  retri- 
bution. 

11.  — are  as  goads;  i.e.,  they  have  the  same  power  to  stimulate 
men  to  the  acquisition  of  wisdom  and  the  practice  of  virtue  as  the 
goad  has  to  excite  the  dull  ox  to  put  forth  more  strength,  or  to  go 
in  the  right  track.  —  as  nails  driven  in ;  i.e.,  they  make  a  deep  and 
abiding  impression,  stick  as  fast  in  the  mind  as  nails  or  pegs  when 
driven  into  boards  and  beams.  Roberts  informs  us  that  such  expres- 
sions are  common  in  Hindostan.  It  is  said,  "  The  words  of  that  judge 
are  quite  certain;  they  are  like  the  driven  nails."  —  "I  have  heard  all 
he  has  to  say,  and  the  effect  on  my  mind  is  like  a  nail  driven  home." 
—  "  What  a  speaker !  all  his  words  are  nails  ;  who  will  draw  them  out 
again?"  (See  Roberts's  Illustrations  ad  loc.)  — members  of  assem- 
blies;  literally,  lords  or  masters  of  assemblies.  So,  in  Judges  ix.  51,  the 
Common  Version  correctly  translates,  "  they  of  the  city,"  where  the  lit- 
eral rendering  would  be  "  masters  of  the  city."  So  Joshua  xxiv.  11, 
"  the  men  of  Jericho,"  instead  of  "  the  masters  of  Jericho."  These 
assemblies  were  probably  composed  of  the  most  wise  and  learned  men 
of  a  place,  who  met  together  to  discuss  questions  of  religion,  morals, 
philosophy,  &c.  Perhaps  they  had  some  connection  with  synagogues. 
The  Jewish  doctors  of  the  temple,  among  whom  Jesus  was  found  by 


326  NOTES. 

his  parents,  may  give  us  an  idea  of  them.  (See  Lightfoot,  Hor.  Heb. 
et  Talmud.,  on  Matt.  iv.  23,  and  De  Synagogis.)  Otherwise,  masters, 
i.e.,  makers,  of  collections.  — given  by  one  shepherd;  i.e.,  teacher.  The 
words  of  tlie  wise,  or  members  of  assembhes,  such  as  are  uttered  by 
such  members  among  tliemselves,  are  said  to  be  given,  i.e.,  spoken,  or 
written  and  published,  by  one  teacher,  like  the  Preacher  or  the  author 
of  the  book  of  Ecclesiastes,  i.e.,  one  who  feeds  the  people  with  knowl- 
edge, as  a  shepherd  feeds  his  flock.  (Comp.  Prov.  x.  21.)  Some  sup- 
pose that,  by  one  shepherd,  God,  the  insi^irer  of  wisdom,  is  intended. 

12.  To  the  multiplying  of  books,  &c.  The  design  of  this,  sentiment 
probably  is  to  urge  men  to  be  satisfied  with  a  few  good  books  of  the 
wise,  whose  words  are  as  goads  and  driven  nails,  rather  than  to  perplex 
themselves  with  reading  many  books  or  making  new  ones.  Dr.  Chan- 
ning  has  a  similar  sentiment  in  his  Lectures  on  the  Elevation  of  the 
Laboring  Portion  of  the  Community :  "  We  need  not  many  books  to 
answer  the  great  ends  of  reading.  A  few  are  better  than  many ;  and  a 
little  time  given  to  a  faithful  study  of  the  few  will  be  enough  to  quicken 
thought  and  enrich  the  mind."  —  "  Few  of  the  books  read  among  us 
deserve  to  be  read.  Most  of  them  have  no  principle  of  life,  as  is 
proved  by  the  fact  that  they  die  the  year  of  their  birth.  They  do  not 
come  from  thinkers,  and  how  can  they  awaken  thought  ? " 

13.  —  the  end.  This  word  is  used  hterally,  where  it  elsewhere 
occurs  in  this  book.  (Ch.  iii.  11 ;  vii.  2.)  The  meaning  may  be  thus 
expressed :  My  discourse  has  come  to  an  end.  I  have  nothing  more  to 
say  except  this,  the  most  important  thing  wliich  can  be  said.  Fear  God, 
&c.  —  of  every  man.  Others  translate,  the  whole  of  man;  i.e.,  his  whole 
business  or  duty.  But  such  a  form  of  expression  is  hardly  met  with 
in  Hebrew,  or  in  other  languages. 

14.  —  into  the  judgment,  &c.  (See  the  notes  on  ch.  iii.  19,  21 ;  ix.  2; 
xii.  7.)  To  those  who  are  familiar  with  the  Christian  doctrine  of  retri- 
bution after  death,  the  Preacher  may  seem  to  allude  to  it  here.  A 
Christian  could  mean  nothing  else  by  such  an  utterance.  But,  for  the 
reasons  which  have  been  given  in  the  notes  referred  to,  it  is  far  more 
probable  that  he  refers  to  retribution  in  this  world.  (Comp.  iii.  17; 
viii.  5,  6;  xi.  9 ;  Isa.  ii.  12;  iii.  14;  xxvi.  8;  Ixvi.  16;  Jer.  xxv.  31; 
Ezek.  xvii.  20 ;  xx.  35  ;  xxxviii.  22 ;  Ps.  i.  5 ;  vii.  8 ;  ix.  4,  8,  19 ;  xxxv. 
23  ;  1.  4;  cxliii.  2;  Job  xiv.  3.)  So  Luther  understood  it.  "He  does 
not  speak  of  the  last  judgment,  but  according  to  Scripture  usage,  and 
generally,  of  any  judgments  whatever,  whether  those  by  which  heretics 
are  judged  and  destroyed,  or  any  other  ungodly  men."  (See  Luther's 
Comment,  in  loc.  Opera,  vol.  iv.  p.  40,  edit.  Wittenb.)     —  lohich  there 


ECCLESIASTES.  827 

is  upon.  Upon  is  the  strict  rendering  of  the  Hebrew  Ib^.  I  doubt 
whether  it  will  bear  the  rendering  together  with  in  this  or  a  similar  con- 
nection. It  is  true,  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  omission  of  the  relative, 
Ti'!*,  is  rather  hard. 


NOTES   ON   THE   CANTICLES. 


Ch.  I.  2-8.  This  song  seems  to  set  forth  the  desire  of  an  innocent 
country  maiden  to  see  her  shepherd  lover,  whom  she  prefers  to  follow 
with  his  flocks  rather  than  to  dwell  in  the  ahodes  of  royalty.  I  do  not 
see  how  ver.  7,  "  Tell  me  where  thou  feedest,"  can  he  reconciled  with 
the  supposition,  that  Solomon,  or  any  king,  was  the  object  of  the 
maiden's  attachment.  It  seems  rather  to  be  her  desire  to  escape 
from  the  palace,  and  to  be  with  the  humble  shepherd,  tending  Ms 
flocks. 

2.  —  one  of  the  kisses;  literally , //-om  the  kisses ;  i.e.,  with  one  or  some 
of  those  peculiar  kisses  which  come  from  his  mouth.  Sept.  (pilrjadTu 
fie  uTTo  (pcTiTj/j.aTuv,  &c.  — thy  love;  i.e.,  as  it  is  expressed  in  kisses, 
caresses,  love-tokens,  &c.  The  word  is  in  the  plural  in  the  Hebrew. 
The  change  of  person,  by  which  the  absent  object  of  affection  is  ad- 
dressed as  present,  belongs  to  the  vividness  of  poetic  representation, 
and  is  probably  more  common  in  Hebrew  than  in  other  poetry.  —  bet- 
ter than  wine.  The  Eastern  poets,  and  even  those  of  Greece,  make  a 
frequent  use  of  this  comparison.  (See  Bion,  Idyl.  A.  49.)  The  stanza 
in  the  song  of  Ben  Jonson  is  well  known :  — 

"Drink  to  me  only  ■nith  thine  eyes, 
And  I  wiH  pledge  with  mine  ; 
And  leave  a  kiss  within  the  cup, 
And  I'll  not  ask  for  wine." 

3.  —  savor,  &c.  The  fondness  of  the  Orientals  for  fragrant  odors 
in  connection  with  their  dress  is  well  known.  (Comp.  Ps.  xlv.  8; 
cxxxiii.  2;  Pro  v.  vii.  17;  Amos  vi.  6;  Lane's  Arabian  Nights,  vol.  i. 
405,  536.)  But,  as  the  lover  is  represented  as  a  shepherd  in  ver.  7,  the 
savor  of  his  perfumes  may  be  a  figurative  expression,  denoting  the 
acceptableness  of  his  person.  —  thy  name.  In  the  Hebrew  there  is  a 
resemblance  in  sound  between  the  words  signifying  nxxme  and  fragrant 

[329] 


330  NOTES. 

oil,  tDia  and  ^''di,  which  forms  what  is  called  in  Hebrew  grammar  a 

paronomasia,  and  accounts  for  the  remark  on  tlie  name  of  the  lover. 
The  meaning  is,  that  such  is  the  reputation  of  the  lover,  or  the  regard 
in  which  he  is  held,  that  the  very  mention  of  his  name  is  as  grate- 
ful as  the  fragrance  of  perfumes  just  poured  forth.  (Comp.  Eccles. 
vii.  1.) 

4.  Draw  me,  &c.  The  maiden  seeks  some  encouragement  from  ilie 
lover,  or  aid  in  her  flight  from  the  king,  who  had  taken  her  to  his 
liarem.  —  we  will  praise,  &c.  The  maiden  speaks  of  herself  and  her 
female  companions. 

5.  —  of  Kedar ;  the  name  of  an  Arabian  tribe,  probably  so  called 
from  being  descended  from  Kedar,  the  son  of  Ishmael  (Gen.  xxv.  13). 
The  tents  of  the  Bedouin  Arabs  are  said  by  many  travellers,  quoted  by 
Harmer,  Observ.  xxiii.,  to  be  still  covered  with  black  goat's-hair  cloth. 
D'Arvieux  says,  "  The  Arabs  have  no  other  lodgings  but  their  tents, 
which  they  call  houses.  They  are  all  black,  of  goat's-hair  canvas, 
which  the  women  weave  and  spin  too."  (Travels  in  Arabia,  ch.  xii. 
p.  181.)  — curtains  of  Solunion ;  i.e.,  of  Solomon's  tent.  That  persons 
of  distinction  often  made  use  of  tents  for  pleasure  may  be  seen  in 
Harmer's  Observations,  xxviii.  Such  tents  were  often  very  splendid 
and  costly.  (See  Robinson's  Calmet,  art.  "Tent.")  In  regard  to  the 
comparison,  the  meaning  evidently  is,  that  the  maiden  is  black  as  the 
tents  of  Kedar,  but  comely  as  the  curtains  of  Solomon.  Harmer 
quotes  from  D'Arvieux,  Voy.  dans  la  Palest.,  p.  214,  a  passage  which 
illustrates  the  injury  to  her  beauty  which  the  maiden  had  suffered  by 
exposure  to  the  sun  :  "  The  princesses  and  the  other  Arab  ladies,  whom 
they  showed  me  from  a  private  place  of  the  tent,  appeared  to  me 
beautiful  and  well-shaped :  one  may  judge  by  these,  and  by  what  they 
told  me  of  them,  that  the  rest  are  no  less  so.  They  are  very  fair, 
because  they  are  always  kept  from  the  sun.  The  women  in  common 
are  extremely  sunburnt,  besides  the  brown  and  swarthy  color  which 
they  naturally  have."     (See  Harmer's 'Outlines,  &c.,  ad  loc.) 

6.  Gaze  not,  &c.  Addressed  to  the  daughters  of  Jerusalem,  i.e.,  the 
ladies  who  were  in  company  with  her,  who  are  supposed  to  look  with 
wonder  upon  her  presumption,  or  to  assume  looks  of  surprise  and 
doubt.  —  my  mother's  sons ;  i.e.,  my  step-brothers.  —  mij  vineyard, 
my  own,  &c. ;  i.e.,  my  most  valued  possession,  my  personal  beauty,  has 
been  impaired  by  watching  the  vineyard  of  others. 

7.  —  like  a  veiled  one.  This  is  the  literal  rendering  and  best  sup- 
ported by  usage.  It  is  in  the  margin  of  the  Common  Version.  Sept. 
TrepiSa/i'AouEVT].    A  veiled  one  denotes  a  harlot.    (See  Gen.  xxxviii.  15.) 


THE    CANTICLES.  831 

The  maiden  expresses  her  fears,  lest,  if  she  should  be  obliged  to  go 
about  seeking  her  lover,  unacquainted  with  the  place  where  he  was 
pursuing  liis  business,  she  might  be  taken  for  a  harlot.  The  custom 
of  reposing  in  the  shade  during  the  heat  of  noonday  is  thus  referred  to 
by  Eoberts,  a  missionary  in  Hindostan  :  "Before  noon,  the  shepherds 
and  their  flocks  may  be  seen  slowly  moving  towards  some  shady  tree, 
where  they  recline  during  the  heat  of  the  day."  The  custom  was  not 
confined  to  the  East.     Thus,  Virgil,  Georg.  iii.  331 :  — 

"^stibus  at  mediis  umbrosam  exquirere  vallem, 
Sicubi  magna  Jovis  antiquo  robore  quercus 
Ingentes  tendat  ramos,  aut  sicubi  nigrum 
Ilicibus  crebris  sacra  nemus  accubet  umbra." 

8.  //  thou  know  not ;  i.e.,  where  he  is  to  be  found,  take  care  to  feed 
thy  kids  by  the  tents  of  the  shepherds,  and  he  will  readily  be  found 
there  with  his  flock.  In  the  simple  style  of  pastoral  poetry,  the  pre- 
paration for  a  meeting  of  the  lovers  at  noon  with  their  flocks  is  of  suf- 
ficient importance  to  form  the  conclusion  of  the  idyl. 

9.  To  the  horses,  &c.     It  seems  to  me  that  "^iTicp  may  be  regarded 

as  a  collective  noun  with  i  paragogic,  as  in  Lam.  i.  1 ;  Isa.  i.  21. 
Otherwise,  To  my  horse,  or  horses.  In  this  comparison  the  resemblance 
is  founded  on  the  splendor  of  the  bride's  dress  and  ornaments,  as  much 
as  on  her  personal  beauty.  (See  the  next  verse.)  On  this  comparison 
Harmer  remarks  :  '*  If  we  may  believe  Maillet,  the  horses  of  Egypt  are 
remarkable  for  their  beauty  and  stateliness,  and  are  sent,  as  presents  of 
great  value,  to  the  great  men  of  Constantinople  ;  but  that  strangers  can- 
not procure  them,  and  that  he  himself,  though  consul-general,  could 
obtain  permission  to  transport  only  two  of  them ;  and  that  it  appears 
from  the  Old  Testament  they  w^ere  not  less  valuable  anciently,  being 
eagerly  sought  for  by  the  kings  of  Syria.  (2  Chron.  i.  17.)  On  the 
other  hand,  I  would  remark,  that  the  Eastern  people  are  excessively 
attached  to  their  horses,  particularly  the  Arabs,  who  are  fond  of  them 
as  if  they  were  children.  D'Arvieux,  in  particular,  gives  a  diverting 
account  of  the  affectionate  caresses  an  Arab  used  to  give  to  a  mare  of  his 
he  had  sold  to  a  merchant  at  Rama.  When  he  came  to  see  it  (which 
was  very  frequently),  he  would  weep  over  it  for  tenderness,  kiss  its 
eyes,  and,  when  he  departed,  go  backwards,  bidding  it  adieu  in  the 
most  tender  manner."  It  is  also  observed  by  Williams,  that  "  the 
Easterns,  so  highly  valuing  their  horses,  spare  no  expense  to  ornament 
them  with  the  most  costly  trappings  of  gold,  enriched  with  pearls 
and  precious  stones ;  and  it  is  very  observable  that  the  Arabian  and 


332  NOTES. 

Turkish  ladies  decorate  themselves  in  a  very  similar  manner,  wearing 
rows  of  pearls  or  precious  stones  round  the  head-dress  and  descending 
over  their  cheeks ;  gold  chains,  also,  upon  their  necks  and  bosoms." 
(Williams  ad  loc.)  In  Wilkinson's  Manners  and  Customs  of  the 
Ancient  Egyptians  (vol.  i.  p.  106),  is  a  plate  representing  a  royal 
chariot  and  horses.  From  the  graceful  appearance  of  the  horses,  and 
tlieir  gay  and  rich  ornaments,  one  may  conclude  that  the  comparison 
of  an  Oriental  lady  in  full  dress  to  the  horses  in  a  royal  chariot  was  not 
uimatural.  AVilkinson  says  (vol.  i.  p.  355),  "  On  grand  occasions, 
the  Egyptian  horses  were  decked  with  fancy  ornaments :  a  rich-striped 
or  checkered  housing,  trimmed  with  a  broad  border  and  large  pendent 
tassels,  covered  the^whole  body ;  and  two  or  more  feathers,  inserted  in 
lions'  heads  or  some  other  device  of  gold,  formed  a  crest  upon  the 
summit  of  the  headstall."  Theocritus,  speaking  of  Helen,  makes  a 
comparison  somewhat  similar,  but  less  direct  (Idyl.  18,  30),  —  apuari 
QeGGa?\.dg  Imrog. 

10.  —  thy  cheeks.  In  Robinson's  Calmet  (p.  270)  may  be  seen  a 
representation  of  the  dress  of  an  Eastern  lady,  which  illustrates  this 
verse.  "  The  Persian  ladies,"  says  Olearius  (Reisebescreib.,  p.  588), 
"make  use  of  two  or  three  rows  of  pearls,  which  are  not  worn  there 
about  the  neck,  as  in  other  places,  but  round  the  head,  beginning  on 
the  forehead  and  descending  down  the  cheeks  and  under  the  chin,  so 
that  their  faces  seem  to  be  set  in  pearls."  D'Arvieux  also  describes 
the  Arab  women  as  wearing  pieces  of  gold  coin  hanging  down  the 
sides  of  the  face ;  and  adds  that  they  have  chains  of  gold  about  their 
necks,  which  hang  down  their  breasts.  (La  Roque,  Voy.  dans  la 
Palest.,  p.  219.     See  Harraer's  Outlmes,  &c.,  p.  206.) 

12.  While  the  king  redineth,  &c. ;  literally,  is  in  his  circle ;  i.e.,  of 
friends.  It  is  customary  for  the  immediate  attendants  of  an  Oriental 
ruler  to  stand  in  a  segment  of  a  circle  at  a  smaJl  distance  before  their 
lord,  as  he  is  seated  in  the  corner  of  tlie  divan.  1  Sam.  xvi.  11,  "  We 
will  not  sit  down "  is  literally,  "  We  will  not  surround."  It  would 
seem  to  be  too  harsh  a  figure  to  suppose  my  spikenard  to  mean  "  my 
personal  charms  and  graces,"  though  such  a  supposition  is  favored  by 
the  next  verse.     (See  ch.  iv.  12,  16.) 

13.  A  bunch  of  myrrh;  which  was  probably  suspended  from  the  neck 
by  an  elegant  chain,  as  being  the  most  fragrant  of  perfumes.  "  There 
was  some  inconsistency,"  says  Gesenius,  "in  the  accounts  of  the 
myrrh-bearing  tree,  until  Ehrenberg  discovered  and  described  it.  It 
is  now  called  hcdsamodendron  myrrha."  The  myrrh  is  a  substance  dis- 
tilling in  tears  from  a  tree  growing  in  Arabia,  wliich  tears  harden  into 


THE     CANTICLES.  333 

a  bitter,  aromatic  gum,  which  was  highly  prized,  and  used  in  incense. 
—  abide;  he  shall  be  cherished  as  the  most  fragrant  perfume,  which  is 
constantly  in  the  bosom.  It  is  not  so  agreeable  to  the  use  of  language 
to  understand  a  bunch  of  the  leaves  or  blossoms  of  the  myrrh-tree  to 
be  denoted ;  for,  in  ch.  v.  5,  mention  is  made  of  the  self-flowing  myrrli, 
i.e.,  that  which  distils  from  the  tree  in  its  season,  when  it  is  not  cut 
or  punctured. 

14.  — henna-Jioicers.  This  flower  is  the  Za«»so«?"a  iners  of  Linnaeus.* 
The  Arabic  name  of  this  plant  is  alhenna,  or,  without  the  article, 
henna.  The  best  description  of  it  is  given  by  Sonnini,  who  has  also 
furnished  an  engraved  representation  of  it.  (See  Voy.  dans  la  Haute 
et  Basse  Egypte,  tom.  i.  pp.  291-302.)  "The  henna  is  a  tall  shrub, 
endlessly  multiplied  in  Egypt ;  the  leaves  are  of  a  lengthened,  oval 
form,  opposed  to  each  other,  and  of  a  faint  green  color.  The  flowers 
grow  at  the  extremity  of  the  branches,  in  long  and  tufted  bouquets. 
In  truth,  this  is  one  of  the  plants  the  most  grateful  to  both  the  sight 
and  the  smell.  The  gently  deepish  color  of  its  bark ;  the  light  green 
of  its  foliage  ;  the  softened  mixture  of  white  and  yellow  with  Avhich  the 
flowers,  collected  into  long  clusters  like  the  lilac,  are  colored ;  the  red 
tint  of  the  ramifications  which  support  them, — form  a  combination  of 
the  most  agreeable  effect.  These  flowers,  whose  shades  are  so  deli- 
cate, diffuse  around  the  sweetest  odors,  and  embalm  the  gardens  and 
the  apartments  which  they  embellish.  They  accordingly  form  the 
usual  nosegay  of  beauty ;  the  women  take  pleasure  in  decking  them- 
selves with  these  beautiful  clusters  of  fragrance,  in  adorning  their 
apartments  with  them,  in  carrying  them  to  the  bath,  in  holding  them  in 
their  hand,  —  in  a  word,  in  perfuming  their  bosom  with  them."  (See 
also  Shaw's  Works,  vol.  i.  p.  113,  &c.)  It  is  by  the  powder  obtained 
from  the  dried  leaves  of  the  henna,  and  diluted  in  water,  that  the  Ori- 
entals tinge  their  nails  and  other  parts  of  the  body  with  a  reddish  or 
deep  orange  hue.  (See  Lane's  Modern  Egyptians,  vol.  i.  p.  54;  Kob- 
inson's  Calmet,  art.  "  Camphire.")  — Engedi;  a  city  near  the  Dead 
Sea,  fertile  in  vines  and  palm-trees.     (Pliny,  Nat.  Hist.,  v.  17.) 

15.  —  are  doves.  This  rendering  is  rather  more  in  conformity  with 
grammatical  usage,  and  is  that  of  the  Septuagint  Version.  It  is 
adopted' by  Hodgson,  Ewald,  and  others.  That  of  the  Common  Version 
is,  however,  allowable.  The  comparison  has  reference  to  the  bright- 
ness, beauty,  and  quick  motion  of  the  dove.  So  in  ch.  vii.  4,  "  Thine 
eyes  are  like  the  pools  at  Heshbon."  So  in  the  Gitagovinda,  part  vii., 
as  in  Clarke's  Commentary,  "  His  passion  was  inflamed  by  the  glances 
of  her  eyes,  which  played  like  a  pair  of  water-birds  with  blue  plumage, 


334  NOTES. 

that  sport  near  a  full-blown  lotos  on  a  pool  in  the  season  of  dew."  In 
the  same  poem  the  eyes  are  frequently  compared  to  blue  water-lilies^ 
And  near  the  end  occurs  the  sentence,  "  Whence  the  antelopes  of 
tliine  eyes  may  run  down  and  sport  at  pleasure." 

17.  —  cedars,  &c.  They  were  not  in  a  house,  but  a  grove,  where 
tlie  trunks  and  spreading  heads  of  the  cedars  and  the  cypresses  are 
poetically  called  the  beams  and  the  roof  of  their  chamber.  Thus  Mil- 
ton, describing  Adam's  bower :  — 

"Thereof 
Of  thickest  covert  was  inwoven  shade, 
Laurel  and  myrtle,  and  what  higher  grew 
Of  firm  and  fragrant  leaf"  Par.  Lost,  iv.  692. 

Ch.  II.  1.  —  the  rose.  As  the  name  meadoiv  saffron  would  be  fatal  to 
the  poetic  beauty  of  the  verse,  I  have  retained  the  Common  Version, 
rose,  although  it  is  probable  that  a  flower  of  the  crocus  species  is 
denoted,  namely,  Colchicum  autumnale,  or  meadow  saffron,  a  bulbous 
plant,  with  large  and  delicate  flowers  of  white  and  violet.  (See 
Gesen.  Thes.  on  n^D^zn.     The  maiden  does  not  mean  to  extol  her 

personal  charms,  but  rather  to  represent  her  beauty  as  nothing 
extraordinary.  Tlie  flower  arises  immediately  from  the  bulb,  upon 
a  long,  naked  tube.  A  description  of  the  plant,  with  a  colored 
representation  of  both  the  bulb  and  flower,  may  be  seen  in  Wood- 
ville's  Medical  Botany,  vol.  iv.  p.  759. 

3.  —  apple-tree.  The  corresponding  word  in  Arabic  denotes  not 
only  the  apple,  but  orange,  quince,  citron,  peach,  and  apricot  trees. 
The  Hebrew  word  may  have  been  used  in  the  same  general  sense. 
But  perhaps  the  apple,  though  not  so  beautiful  and  fragrant  as  the 
citron-tree,  may  have  had  a  poetic  value  from  the  comparative  rarity 
which  Forskiill  ascribes  to  it.  An  apple-tree,  loaded  with  fruit  among 
the  barren  trees  of  the  wood,  would  be  a  sufficient  foundation  for  the 
comparison.  II.  B.  Tristram,  in  his  Travels  in  the  East,  London,  1866, 
p.  600,  gives  some  weighty,  but  not  decisive,  reasons  for  supposing  that 
the  apricot,  rather  than  the  apple,  tree  is  denoted  here.  —  shadoiv. 
It  is  to  be  recollected  that  shade  is  an  essential  article  of  Oriental 
luxury.  Dr.  Pococke  tells  us,  "  when  he  was  at  Sidon  he  was 
entertained  in  a  garden,  in  the  shade  of  some  apricot-trees,  and  the 
fruit  of  them  was  shaken  upon  him."  (Description  of  the  East, 
vol.  ii.  p.  95.) 

4.  —  hanqneting-house ;  literally,  Jiouse  ofivine.  (Comp.  Esth.  vii.  8.) 
There  seems,  however,  to  be  good  reason  for  the  opinion  of  Doderlein, 
who  understands  the  expression,  to  lead  to  his  hanqueting-house,  in  a  fig- 


THE     CANTICLES.  335 

urative  sense,  as  denoting  that  the  beloved  is,  as  it  were,  intoxicating 
the  maiden  with  love.  Compare  a  similar  metaphor  in  Isa.  xxix.  9 ; 
li.  21.  So  Umbreit,  Gesenius,  and  Rosenmiiller,  "Experiri  me 
fecit  dilectus  mens,  quam  suavis  sit."  The  verse  following  seems  to 
favor  this  explanation.  House  of  wine  may,  however,  denote  vineyard. 
—  banner  over  me,  &c. ;  i.e.,  I  follow  the  banner  or  standard  of  love 
which  my  beloved  holds  up  before  me,  as  soldiers  follow  the  standard 
of  their  commander  and  never  desert  it.  —  Strengthen  me  with  raisins; 
or,  more  strictly,  raisin-cakes.  They  are  mentioned,  in  2  Sam.  vi.  19, 
and  1  Chron.  xvi.  3,  as  delicacies  with  which  the  weary  and  languid 
are  refreshed ;  also,  in  Hos.  iii.  1,  as  offered  in  sacrifice.  The  mean- 
ing cakes  is  expressed  in  most  of  the  ancient  versions. 

6.  His  left  hand.  In  this  situation  the  spouse  is  represented  as 
reclining  upon  a  divan,  where  she  falls  into  a  quiet  slumber,  supported 
by  her  beloved. 

7.  —  by  the  gazelles.  It  is  common  for  different  classes  to  swear 
by  that  which  is  most  dear  to  them,  —  the  warrior  by  his  sword,  the 
prophet  by  his  soul,  &c. ;  so  the  daughters  of  Jerusalem  are  adjured 
by  what  is  dear  to  them,  namely,  beauty,  as  it  is  manifested  in  the 
gazelles  and  the  hinds.  The  Hebrew  term  denoting  the  gazelle  origi- 
nally denoted  splendor  or  beauty ;  and  the  animal  is  used  by  the  Arabs, 
as  well  as  the  Hebrews,  as  the  emblem  of  what  is  extremely  elegant 
and  beautiful.  To  be  said  to  have  the  eyes  of  a  gazelle  is  the  highest 
compliment  that  can  be  paid  to  an  Eastern  lady.  (See  Gesen.  on 
'^'TZ.)     —  nor  awake,  &c.     "In  the  East,"  says  Roberts,  "it  would  be 

considered  barbarous  in  the  extreme  to  awake  a  person  out  of  his 
sleep.  How  often,  in  going  to  the  house  of  a  native,  you  are  saluted 
with,  '  Nittera-kuUa-karar,'  i.e., '  He  sleeps.'  Ask  them  to  arouse  him ; 
the  reply  is,  '  Koodatha,'  i.e.,  '  I  cannot.'  Indeed,  to  request  such  a 
thing  shows  at  once  that  you  are  a  griffin,  i.e.,  a  new-comer.  '  Only 
think  of  that  ignorant  Englishman :  he  went  into  the  house  of  our 
chief,  and,  being  told  he  was  asleep,  made  such  a  noise  as  to  awake 
him,  and  then  laughed  at  what  he  had  done.' " 

8.  The  voice  of  my  beloved,  &c.  Some  suppose  that  these  and  the  fol- 
lowing words  Avere  the  substance  of  a  dream,  which  the  fair  one  had  in 
the  sleep  mentioned  in  tlie  last  verse ;  but  it  is  a  mere  supposition, 
and  not  very  probable.  As  there  is  no  connection  between  the  train 
of  thought  in  this  passage  and  the  close  of  the  last  chapter,  we  conclude 
that  it  forms  a  distinct  idyl  or  song.  It  adds  to  the  liveliness  of  the 
description,  that  the  fair  one  is  represented  in  a  listening  attitude,  hear- 
ing the  voice  of  her  beloved  before  he  appears  in  sight. 


336  NOTES. 

9.  —  gazelle,  &c.  "  These  animals  are  elegantly  formed,  active, 
restless,  timid,  shy,  and  astonishingly  swift,  running  with  vast  bounds, 
and  springing  or  leaping  with  surprising  elasticity.  They  frequently 
stop  for  a  moment  in  the  midst  of  their  course  to  gaze  at  their  pur- 
suers, and  then  resume  their  flight."  (See  Robinson's  Calmet,  art. 
"Antelope.")  . 

12.  —  time  of  the  singing,  &c.    As  the  word  'I'^^t  denotes  cutting  or 

pruning,  as  well  as  singing,  most  of  the  ancient  versions  understand  the 
line,  "  The  time  for  pruning  the  vines  has  come."  Gesenius  also 
adopts  this  rendering.  But  the  common  rendering  is  favored  by  the 
parallelism,  the  voice  of  the  turtle,  i.e.,  the  turtle-dove,  &c.,  also  by  the 
circumstance  that  there  is  an  allusion  to  the  vine  in  the  next  verse. 
As  to  the  objection,  that  ^""/pT,  where  it  denotes  singing  elsewhere  in 

the  Old  Testament,  refers  to  the  artificial  singing  of  men,  the  answer 
is,  first,  that  the  singing  of  birds  is  not  often  referred  to  in  the  Old 
Testament  by  any  expression ;  secondly,  if  it  does  usually  denote  the 
artificial  singing  of  men,  the  term  may  yet  be  used  in  a  figurative  sense 
by  a  poet  to  denote  the  singing  of  birds.  Nothing  is  more  common  in 
English  poetry ;  for  instance,  "  wood-«ote  wild,"  "  the  cock's  slu-Ui 
clarion."  —  turtle,  &c.  The  turtle-dove  is  mentioned  as  a  bird  of  pas- 
sage (Jer.  viii,  7).  Forskall,  the  companion  of  Niebuhr,  mentions  it  as 
one  of  the  birds  of  passage  which  appear  at  Alexandria  about  the  end 
of  April  or  beginning  of  May.     (See  his  Descriptio  Animal.,  p.  9.) 

13.  —  is  spicing,  &c.     The  Hebrew  term  JTDpfl  is  used  in  Gen.  1.  2, 

3,  26,  to  denote  the  embalming  of  a  dead  body ;  hence  it  seems  to  me 
more  probable  that  it  denotes  here  to  Jill  with  rich,  fragrant  juice,  rather 
than,  generally,  to  ripen.     So  Eosenmiiller,  Umbreit,  and  De  Wette. 

14.  0  my  dove,  &c.  Here  the  wild  dove,  which  hides  itself  firom 
birds  of  prey,  or  firora  the  approach  of  man  in  cliffs  of  rocks,  is  used  as 
an  emblem  of  the  fair  one,  unwilling  to  leave  her  house  to  meet  her 
lover.     (See  Jer.  xlviii.  28;  Horn.  II.,  xxi.  494 ;  Vu-g.  JEn.,  v.  213.) 

'H  /5a  ■&'  vtt'  IprjKog  kolatjv  elaeTTTaTO  TrerpTjv, 
Xrjpafxov'  ov  6'  upa  ry  ye  dTuofievai  al(ji/j,ov  ?jsv. 

"  Qualjs  spelunca  subito  commota  columba, 
Cui  domus  et  dulces  latebroso  in  pumice  nidi,"  &c. 

15.  TaJce  ye  for  us  the  foxes,  &c.  The  maiden  having  come  forth  to 
enjoy  the  spring,  the  vineyards,  &c.,  it  is  natural  for  her  now  to  give 
directions  to  have  the  vineyard  made  as  i)leasaut  as  possible  by  the 


THE    CANTICLES.  337 

removal  of  noxious  animals.  A  similar  allusion  to  foxes  is  found  in 
Theocritus,  Idyl.  v.  112:  — 

Miaew  Tug  daavKepKOvt;  aAwTre/caf,  al  to,  Wlkuvoq 
Aiel  ipoiTLJaac  tu  nodioTrepa  ^ayi^ovrat. 

"  I  hate  those  brush-tailed  foxes,  that  each  night 
Spoil  Mycon's  vineyarOs  with  their  deadly  spite." 

—  now  in  blossom.  Sept.  KVTrpli^ovat.  So  Gesenius,  Umbreit,  and  E  wald. 
(Comp.  ver.  13  and  vii.  12.) 

16.  — Jie  feedeth,  &c.     The  Hebrew  verb  riS"")  has  the  same  ambi- 

T   1 

guity  as  the  Enghsh  feed.  It  may  mean  to  feed  a  flock,  as  in  ch.  i.  7, 
or  it  may  mean  to  feed  one's  self.  I  am  inclined  to  understand  it  of 
feeding  a  flock.  Perhaps  the  flock  may  have  been  in  an  enclosure 
in  the  garden  or  park.  It  is  a  recommendation  of  the  beloved  to 
the  maiden,  that  he  is  a  gentle  shepherd  feeding  his  flock  among  the 
lilies. 

17.  When  the  day  breathes.  This  is  imderstood  by  many  of  the 
morning ;  but  the  more  recent  commentators,  as  Gesenius  and  Rosen- 
miiller,  refer  it  to  sunset  or  the  evening.  Tliis  is  most  probable ;  for 
a  grateful,  cool  breeze  is  said  to  spring  up  at  that  time.  At  that  time, 
too,  the  shadows  Jlee  away,  i.e.,  continually  lengthen  themselves,  till 
they  are  lost  in  the  darkness  of  the  night.  So,  Gen.  iii.  8,  the  cool, 
literally,  the  breeze,  of  the  day  seems  to  be  in  contrast  with  the  heat  of 
tlie  day,  ch.  xviii.  1.  So  here,  after  the  still  sultry  heat,  the  day  is 
said  to  breathe.  The  particle  1^,  here  translated  when,  seems  to  be 
equivalent  to  ^'232*  15",  ch.  i.  12.  —  craggy  mountains ;  literally,  moun- 
tains of  division;  i.e.,  by  a  well-known  Hebraism,  mountains  divided  or 
cut  up,  cleft,  &c.     So  the  Sept.  bprj  KoiAufiaTuv,  mountains  of  cavities. 

Ch.  III.  1.  This  is  evidently  the  beginning  of  a  new  song.  There 
seems  to  be  no  appearance  of  a  dream ;  and  in  ancient  times  a  dream 
was  regarded  of  so  much  importance,  that  the  author  would  have 
mentioned  it  if  he  had  intended  to  describe  one  here.  As  to  any 
thing  inconsistent  with  probabiHty  or  propriety,  which  some  have 
alleged  in  favor  of  its  being  understood  as  a  dream  or  as  an  allegory, 
it  appears  to  me  that  the  author  would  not  be  more  hkely  to  violate 
probabihty  or  propriety  in  a  poetic  dream  or  in  an  allegory  than  in 
the  ordinary  products  of  his  imagination. 

3.  Have  you  seen  him,  &c.  It  is  a  natural  circumstance,  tliat  the 
maiden  takes  it  for  granted  that  all  the  world  knows  the  object  of  her 
attachment,  though  she  does  not  mention  his  name. 

15 


o 


660  NOTES. 

4.  —  into  my  mother's  house,  &c.  Kosenmuller  says,  "  It  is  improba- 
ble that  a  modest  female  among  the  Hebrews  would  do  such  a  thing, 
and  therefore  it  is  to  be  understood  allegorically."  But  it  is  as  im- 
probable that  a  Hebrew  poet  would  represent  a  modest  female  as  doing 
what  is  improper  for  an  allegorical  purpose,  as  for  any  other.  The 
passage  is,  indeed,  obscure  ;  but  the  supposition  of  allegory  does  not 
make  it  clearer.  Hodgson  remarks  on  this  verse ':  "  It  hath  been  sup- 
posed that  this  poem  was  written  by  Solomon  on  his  marriage  with 
the  daughter  of  Pharaoh.  But  this  passage  seems  to  prove  that  the 
person  here  married  was  not  Pharaoh's  daughter ;  for,  if  she  had  been 
Pharaoh's  daughter,  her  mother's  house  would  have  been  in  Egypt : 
whereas  this  scene  lies  at  Jerusalem ;  for  in  the  next  line  she  addresses 
the  daughters  of  Jerusalem,  and  desires  them  not  to  disturb  her  sleep- 
ing husband." 

Ch.  III.  6-11.  The  design  of  this  song  is  commonly  supposed  to 
be  that  of  describing  a  nuptial  procession,  in  which  the  bride  of  Solo- 
mon is  led  to  the  palace,  in  company  with  himself,  in  his  sedan  or 
carriage.  According  to  the  theory  of  one  dramatic  poem,  Solomon  is 
riding  with  the  Shulamite. 

6.  Who  is  this,  &c.  The  poet  speaks,  or  perhaps  a  choir  of  the 
daughters  of  Jerusalem.  —  from  the  u-i/dertuiss-  1S1^  denotes,  not 
merely  a  desert,  but  what  we  call  the  country  in  distinction  from  the 
city.  (See  Gesen.  Lex.)  Otherwise,  from  the  ivi/derness  m^y  denote 
that  the  person  was  coming  from  the  direction  of  the  wilderness. 
—  pillars  of  smoke.  It  is  commonly  supposed,  that  the  slender  and 
graceful  form  of  the  bride,  gradually  increasing  in  tallness  as  she  came 
nciu-er,  is  compared  to  the  light  and  beautiful  column  of  smoke  which 
ascends  from  a  burning  censer  of  incense.  Mercier  observes  that. "  it 
is  a  tradition  of  the  Jews,  that  the  smoke  of  incense  should  go  up 
perpendicularly,  and  that  artists  were  called  from  Alexandria  to 
make  the  smoke  of  incense  ascend  as  straight  as  possible."  He 
does  not  give  his  authority.  But,  as  the  sedan  of  Solomon  is  men- 
tioned in  the  next  verse,  is  it  probable  that  the  bride  was  on  foot  1  Is 
it  not  more  probable  that  the  dust  caused  by  the  approach  of  the  sedan 
and  its  attendants  is  compared  to  columns  of  smoke  ?  Or  might  not 
the  i)illars  of  smoke  actually  ascend  from  censers  borne  in  front  of  the 
procession  1  "  The  use  of  perfumes  at  Eastern  marriages  is  common, 
and  upon  grand  occasions  very  profuse.  Not  only  are  the  garments 
scented,  till,  in  the  Psalmist's  language,  they  smell  of  myrrh,  aloes, 
and  cassia,  but  it  is  customary  for  virgins  to  meet  and  lead  the  proces- 


THE    CANTICLES.  339 

sion  with  silver-gilt  pots  of  perftimes ;  and  sometimes  even  the  air 
around  is  rendered  fragrant  by  the  burning  of  aromatics  in  the  win- 
dows of  all  the  houses  in  the  streets  through  which  the  procession  is 
to  pass.  In  the  present  instance,  so  liberally  were  these  rich  perfumes 
burnt,  that  at  a  distance  a  pillar  or  pillars  of  smoke  arose  from  them  ; 
and  the  perfume  was  so  rich  as  to  exceed  in  value  and  fragrancy  all 
the  powders  of  the  merchant."  Williams.  Nothing  is  said  of  the 
bride.  It  is  possible,  then,  that  Solomon  alone  may  have  been  in 
the  carriage.    — powders;   i.e.,  aromatic  powders. 

7.  — carriage;  i.e.,  a  kind  of  open  vehicle,  now  usually  called  a 
palanquin,  in  which  the  great  men  of  the  East  are  carried,  sometipies 
upon  elephants  or  camels,  and  at  other  times  on  men's  shoulders. 
Niebuhr  says  a  palanquin,  completely  ornamented  with  silver,  covered 
with  rich  stuffs,  and  suspended  on  a  handsome  bamboo,  will  cost  about 
two  hundred  pounds  sterhng.     (Travels,  vol.  ii.  p.  410.) 

10.  The  railing.  The  back  and  side  railing,  on  which  to  lean  or 
recline.     — b>/  a  lovely  one.     (See  ch.  ii.  7,  iii.  5.)     So  Ewald. 

11.  —  in  the  crown,  &c.  It  was  usual  with  many  nations  to  put 
crowns  or  garlands  on  the  heads  of  new-married  persons.  The  Mishna 
informs  us  that  this  custom  prevailed  among  the  Jews ;  and  it  seems, 
from  the  passage  before  us,  that  the  ceremony  of  putting  it  on  was 
performed  by  one  of  the  parents.  Among  the  Greeks,  the  bride  was 
crowned  by  her  mother,  as  appears  from  the  instance  of  Iphigenia,  in 
Euripides,  ver.  894.  "  In  the  Greek  Church  in  Egypt,"  says  Maillet, 
"  the  parties  are  placed  before  a  reading-desk,  on  which  is  the  book  of 
the  Gospels,  having  two  crowns  upon  it  of  flowers,  cloth,  or  tinsel. 
The  priest,  after  benedictions  and  prayers,  places  one  on  the  bride- 
groom's, the  other  on  the  bride's,  head,  covering  both  with  a  veil." 
(See  Eosenmiiller,  Alten  und  Neues  Morgenland,  vol.  iv.  p.  196.  Sel- 
den's  Uxor  Hebraica,  lib.  ii.  cap.  15.) 

Ch.  IV. -V.  1.  This  canticle  seems  to  include  ch.  iv.  and  the  first 
verse  of  ch.  v.  It  appears  to  contain  a  lover's  praise  of  liis  mistress, 
and  her  replies. 

1.  —  behind  thy  veil.  So  Hafiz  :  "  Thy  cheeks  sparkle  even  under  thy 
veil."  Sir  W.  Jones's  Works,  vol.  i.  p.  4-53.  Another  Persian  poet 
says,  "  It  is  difficult  to  gaze  upon  the  sun  without  the  medium  of  a 
cloud.  View,  therefore,  0  Saieb!  the  lovely  face  of  thy  mistress 
through  her  veil."  Orient.  Coll.,  vol.  ii.  p.  23.  — flock  of  goats,  &c. 
Her  hair  was  black  and  thick,  like  a  flock  of  goats  showing  itself  on 
the  top  of  a  mountain  to  one  in  the  distance  below. 


840  NOTES. 

2.  —  teeth ;  fbr  whiteness,  brightness,  fulness,  and  soundness,  they 
are  compared  to  a  shorn  flock  just  coming  clean  from  the  washing- 
place. 

3.  — divided  pomegranate;  which,  in  its  prime,  says  Rosenmiiller, 
has  a  beautiful  red  color,  i.e.,  when  cut  in  two,  equalUng  or  suri)assing 
that  of  the  rose.  So  Camoens,  Lusiad,  Cant.  ix.  59,  translated  by 
Mickle :  — 

* '  The  pomegranate  of  orange  hue, 
Whose  open  heart  a  brighter  red  displays 
Than  that  which  sparkles  in  the  rubj-'s  blaze." 

4.  —  the  tower  of  David;  which  was  probably  built  of  white  marble, 
high  and  elegant.  Upon  the  outside  of  towers  it  was  the  custom  to 
hang  shields,  probably  as  a  terror  to  enemies.  (See  Ezek.  xxvii.  10, 
11.)  To  the  splendid  shields  and  arms  with  which  the  tower  of  David 
was  adorned,  are  compared  the  necklaces  and  jewels  which  adorned 
the  neck  of  the  maiden. 

5.  —  gazelles.  (See  the  note  on  ch.  ii.  7.)  Probably  the  reference 
is  to  their  general  beauty  and  loveliness. 

6.  —  day  breathes,  &c.  See  the  note  on  ch.  ii.  17.  —  mountain  of 
myrrh,  &c.  It  is  said  of  Pompey  the  Great,  that,  when  he  passed  over 
Lebanon  and  by  Damascus,  he  passed  through  sweet-smelling  groves 
and  woods  of  frankincense  and  balsam.  Florus,  Epitome  Rerum 
Rom.,  lib.  iii.  c.  6 :  "  Per  nemora  ilia  odorata,  per  thuris  et  balsami 
sylvas."  Tliis  quotation  is  brought  to  show,  not  that  the  bride  was 
actually  on  a  hill  of  myrrh,  &c.,  but  that  such  hills  of  myrrh  and 
incense  were  supposed  to  exist,  and  might  afibrd  a  subject  for  com- 
parison. The  bride  seems  to  be  here  compared,  as  respects  her  gen- 
eral charms,  to  a  mountain  of  myrrh,  &c.,  to  whom  the  lover  says  he 
will  return  as  the  antelope  flies  to  the  mountain.  So  Ewald.  So 
some  of  the  Eastern  poets  represent  angels  as  having  bodies  of  amber 
and  musk.  Thus  the  poet  Assadi  says,  "  Eeridoun  and  Farrakh  were 
not  angels  ;  their  bodies  were  made  neither  of  amber  nor  musk ;  it 
was  their  justice  and  hberaUty  that  made  them  celebrated."  (See 
Harmer's  Outlines,  p.  290.)  Grotius,  who  is  followed  by  Dr.  Good, 
supposes  the  comparison  to  be  somewhat  more  definite,  referring  to 
her  bosom  alone :  "  Sic  vocat  mammas  ob  suavissimum  odorem." 
Grot.  The  meaning  may  be,  however,  that  the  lover  would  return  to 
the  place  where  she  was,  where  the  odor  of  her  charms  was  diffused. 
So  Diidcrlein. 

8.  Come  with  me  from  Lebanon,  &c.  Verses  8  and  9  seem  to  be  intro- 
duced very  abruptly,  and  their  import  in  this  connection  is  not  very 


THE    CANTICLES.  341 

obvious.  Doderlein  and  others  suppose  them  to  be  an  invitation  to 
the  bride  to  take  an  excursion  with  him,  in  order  tliat  they  might 
admire  together  all  that  was  grand  and  beautiful  in  scenery.  Others 
suppose  them  to  be  an  invitation  to  the  maiden  to  come  from  a  place 
of  danger  to  a  place  of  complete  security  in  the  arms  of  her  lover. 

9.  —  taken  captive  my  heart;  literally,  hearted  me;  according  to  the 
EngUsh  idiom  to  skin,  for  to  take  off  the  skin.  Others  suppose  the  word 
to  mean,  Thou  hast  given  me  heart,  or  encourafjed  me.  —  sister  ;  a  term 
)f  endearment.  So  the  Romans.  (Comp.  Tibull.  iii.  1,  26.)  —  one  of 
Ihine  eyes.  How  powerful  must  be  both  united  when  only  one  does 
such  execution!  (Corap.  ch.  vi.  5.)  It  has  been  remarked,  that, 
"  supposing  the  royal  bridegroom  to  have  had  a  profile,  or  side-vieAV, 
of  his  bride  ifli  the  present  instance,  only  one  eye,  or  one  side  of  her 
necklace,  would  be  observable ;  yet  this  charms  and  overpowers  him." 
Probably,  however,  the  Hebrew  poet  intended  what  others  mean  to 
express  by  one  glance  of  the  eye,  &c.  Parallel  passages  might  be 
quoted  from  many  Eastern  poets.  The  song  of  Ibrahim  says,  "  One 
dart  from  your  eyes  has  pierced  through  my  heart."  And,  in  the 
songs  of  Gitagovinda,  we  find  one  acknowledging  himself  "  bought  as 
a  slave  by  a  single  glance  from  thine  eye  and  a  toss  of  thy  disdainful 
eyebrow."  (Asiat.  Eesearch.,  vol.  iii.  p.  203.)  TertuUian,  however, 
mentions  a  custom  in  the  East  of  women  unveiling  only  one  eye  in 
conversation,  while  they  keep  the  other  covered ;  and  Mebuhr  men- 
tions a  similar  custom  as  prevaihng  in  some  parts  of  Arabia.  (Travels 
in  Arabia,  vol.  i.  p.  262.) 

11.  Thy  lips,  &c.  Here  the  sweetness  of  her  voice  rather  than  her 
kisses  is  denoted.     (Comp.  Prov.  v.  3.)     So  Hom.,  II.  i.  249  :  — 

Tov  Kal  uTTo  yTiuaarj^  fii?\,iTog  yXyKLov  /5e£v  avdfi. 

And  Theocritus,  viii.  82  :  — 

'ASv  TC  TO  OTOfia  rot,  koI  f:<j)LjLt.epog,  tj  Ad(j)vi,  (jxjva' 
KpsGGOV  fj,e?iTTOfj.Evcj  rev  uKOvijiev  tj  fie?u  ^eix^tv." 

12.  A  garden  enclosed,  &c.  The  bride  is  compared  to  a  fragrant 
garden,  a  refreshing  spring,  in  respect  to  her  charms ;  and  to  a  garden 
enclosed,  a  fountain  sealed,  in  respect  to  her  chastity  and  fidelity.  That 
fountains  or  wells,  as  well  as  gardens,  were  sometimes  locked  up  in 
the  East,  see  Harmer,  Obs.,  vol.  i.  p.  113.  That  this  kind  of  distant 
imagery  is  common  in  the  East  appears  from  the  following  passages  :  — 
'Teirouz,  a  vizier,  having  divorced  his  wife  upon  suspicion  of  infi- 
delity, her  brothers  apply  for  redress  in  the  following  figurative  terms  : 
*  My  lord,  we  have  rented  to  Feirouz  a  most  (ielightful  garden,  a  ter- 


342  NOTES. 

restial  paradise ;  he  took  possession  of  it,  encompassed  it  with  high 
walls,  and  planted  it  with  the  most  beautiful  trees  that  bloomed  with 
flowers  and  fruit.  He  has  broken  down  the  walls,  plucked  the  tender 
flowers,  devoured  the  finest  fruit,  and  would  now  restore  us  this  gar- 
den robbed  of  every  thing  that  contributed  to  render  it  dehcious  when 
we  gave  him  admission  to  it.' "  (Miscell.  of  Eastern  Learning,  vol.  i. 
p.  12.)  In  a  famous  Persian  romance,  a  princess  assures  her  husband 
of  her  fidelity  in  his  absence,  in  these  terms :  "  The  jewels  of  the 
treasury  of  secrecy  are  still  the  same  as  they  were,  and  the  casket  is 
sealed  with  the  same  seal."  (Baliur  Danush,  vol.  iii.  p.  65.  See  Wil- 
liams's Sol.  Song,  p.  278.     See  also  Prov.  v.  18.) 

13.  Thy  plants ;  or  shoots.  I  do  not  understand  this  of  children,  as 
do  most  of  the  commentators,  but  of  the  graces  and  charms  of  the 
bride.  In  the  last  verse  she  was  compared  to  a  garden.  In  pursuance 
of  the  same  metaphor,  her  charms  are  compared  to  odoriferous  plants. 
—  Henna,  &c.     See  the  note  on  ch.  i.  14. 

15.  A  fountain  of  the  gardens ;  i.e.,  a  spring  that  waters  many  gardens. 

16.  Awake,  0  north  wind,  &c.  By  calhng  on  the  north  wind  at  the 
same  time  with  the  south,  the  maiden  expresses  the  wish  that  the 
imited  influence  of  the  principal  winds  that  blew  might  shake  the  plants, 
and  cause  the  fragrance  of  the  garden  to  be  exhaled  and  diflused. 
Having  been  compared  to  a  garden,  she  says,  in  substance,  "  0  that 
the  garden  were  more  fragrant,"  &c. 

Ch.  V.  1.  —  my  spouse ;  i.e.,  betrothed.  —  honeycomb,  otherwise, 
honey-dripping,  &c. ;  i.e.,  that  which  spontaneously  overflows  or  drips 
from  the  combs  or  hives.  (See  Ges.  and  Fiirst  on  ^'$^.)  *  —  drink 
abundantly,  my  beloved.  The  Hebrew  admits  quite  as  well  of  the  render- 
ing, drink  abundantly  of  Jove,  or  make  yourselves  drunk  with  love.  So 
King  James's  translators  in  tbe  margin.  But  the  parallelism  and  the 
connection  seem  most  favorable  to  the  Common  Version. 

Ch.  V.  2- VI,  3.  The  circumstances  introduced  into  this  piece  are 
undoubtedly  imaginary ;  but  I  perceive  no  decisive  indication  that  the 
poet  designs  to  narrate  a  dream.  There  is  considerable  resemblance 
between  this  piece  and  the  third  ode  of  Anacreon,  beginning,  MeaovvKTioiq 
nod'  upaLC. 

2.  /  slept,  &.C.  The  meaning  is,  that  though  the  body  was  asleep, 
yet  the  mind  was  awake  and  filled  with  the  object  of  her  affection,  so 
that  she  heard  and  recognized  the  knock  of  her  beloved  as  soon  as  it 
was  given. 

3.  1  have  taken  off  my  vest.    The  frivolous  and  coquettish  excuses 


THE     CANTICLES.  343 

which  she  gives  for  not  welcoming  her  lover  are  here  represented. 
She  had  prepared  herself,  and  yet  pretended  she  did  not  like  to  rise. 
—  vest;  i.e.,  the  inner  garment,  reaching  to  the  knees,  worn  next 
the  skin,  commonly  with  sleeves. 

4.  —  hy  the  hole  of  the  door,  &c.  Le  Clerc  has  a  long  and  learned 
note  on  the  ancient  mode  of  fastening  a  door.  In  this  case,  the  door 
was  probably  secured  by  a  crossbar  or  bolt,  which  at  night  was  fastened 
by  a  little  button  or  pin.  In  the  upper  part  of  the  door  was  left  a 
round  hole,  through  which  any  person  from  without  might  thrust  his 
arm  and  remove  the  bar,  unless  the  security  of  the  pin  were  suj)er- 
added. 

5.  —  self-Jioicing  myrrh ;  i.e.,  that  which  spontaneously  flows  from 
the  tree,  without  cutting  or  puncturing  the  bark.  This  was  consid- 
ered the  most  valuable  kind.  Tlie  myrrh  which  dropped  from  her 
hands  was  that  which  her  beloved  had  left  upon  the  wooden  bar  of  the 
door.  This  may  be  understood  figuratively,  that  the  moisture  of 
the  beloved's  hands  wet  with  dew  was  like  fragrant  myrrh,  perfuming 
every  thing  which  came  in  contact  with  it ;  or  a  custom  may  have 
prevailed  in  the  East  similar  to  that  which  is  mentioned  by  Lucretius, 
iv.  1171:  — 

"  At  lacrymans  exclusus  amator  limina  saepe 
Floribus  et  sertis  operit,  postesque  superbos 
TInguit  Amaracino,  et  foribus  miser  oscula  figitt" 

6.  /  was  not  in  my  senses ;  literally,  3Iy  soul  was  gone  from  me.  The 
meaning  most  suited  to  the  connection  is,  that  she  acted  insanely  in 
not  admitting  her  beloved  at  his  request.  It  seems  to  denote  that 
bewilderment  of  the  faculties  caused  by  fear,  as  in  Gen.  xlii.  28,  or  by 
any  other  passion ;  here,  by  the  passion  of  love. 

7.  The  icatchmen  —  wounded  me,  &c. ;  i.e.,  treated  me  as  a  lewd, 
abandoned  woman.  The  same  thing  is  intimated  by  taking  away  the 
veil,  in  the  next  line.  (Comp.  Isa.  xxii.  8;  Nalium  iii.  5.)  So  Hafiz, 
in  a  passage  quoted  by  Dr.  Good,  speaking  of  the  wife  of  Potiphar 
under  the  name  of  Zuleikhah :  — 

"  Led  captive  by  the  victor  charms 
O'er  Joseph's  face  that  play, 
Her  veil  of  chastity  at  length 
Zuleikhah  Qings  away." 

11.  — fine  gold;  referring  to  general  splendor  and  beauty.  So 
Theocritus,  Idyl.  iii.  28,  speaks  of  the  golden  Helen.  —  palm- 
branches.  So  in  Amrolkais,  Moallakah,  ver.  33,  quoted  by  Rosenmiil- 
ler,  a  lover  describes  the  hair  of  his  mistress  :  "  Et  capilh,  qui  tergum 


344  NOTES. 

ornant,  nigri,  carbonis  instar,  densi  sicut  racemi  palmse  impliciti.'' 
Any  one  who  will  look  at  a  good  representation  of  the  palm-tree  — for 
instance,  that  in  the  work  of  Laborde  on  Arabia  Petraea  —  will  per 
ceive  a  foundation  for  this  comparison. 

12.  Washed  with  milk.  This  is  commonly  supposed  to  denote  their 
milk-white  color.  In  Job  xxix.  6,  to  wash  the  steps  in  milk  denotes  to 
have  great  abundance  of  it ;  and  we  are  told  by  Roberts,  the  mission- 
ary, that  to  be  washed  with  milk  is  now  a  proverb  in  Hindostan, 
denoting  to  be  in  a  good  and  happy  condition.  (See  Roberts.)  But 
the  former  explanation  seems  most  suitable  to  this  passage.  —  dwell- 
ing in  fulness,  njsb;^"^^  rin*;'^.  I  have  rendered  this  phrase  liter- 
ally, because  I  consider  the  meaning  as  quite  doubtful.  It  seems  most 
probable  that  it  refers  to  the  pigeons,  and  not  to  their  eyes,  and  illus- 
trates their  plump  appearance,  arising  from  their  dwelling  near  full 
streams  or  full  fields.  So  the  Sept.  and  Vulg.  The  translation  of  the 
Common  Version  seems  forced.  It  supposes  an  allusion  to  a  diamond 
set  in  the  foil  of  a  ring,  denoting  that  the  eyes  are  neither  too  much 
depressed  nor  too  prominent,  but  well  filling  the  sockets.  (See  the 
note  on  ch.  i.  15.) 

13.  —  a  bed  of  balsam.  Thus  paraphrased  by  Bishop  Patrick : 
"  The  lovely  down  upon  his  cheeks  is  no  less  grateful ;  rising  there 
like  spices  when  they  first  appear  out  of  their  beds  ;  or  like  the  young 
buds  of  aromatic  flowers  in  the  paradise  before  described ;  where  the 
purple  liUes  are  not  more  beautiful  than  his  lips,  from  whence  flow 
words  more  precious  and  more  pleasant  than  the  richest  and  most  fra- 
grant myrrh."  The  dropping  of  the  lips  may,  however,  refer  to  the 
sweet  breath.  Sadi,  the  Persian  poet,  describing  a  young  man,  says, 
"  He  had  just  arrived  at  the  opening  blossom  of  youth,  and  the  down 
had  but  newly  spread  itself  over  the  flower  of  his  cheek."  Sullivan's 
Fables  from  Gulistan,  p.  3,  quoted  by  Williams  ad  loc.  It  is  possible, 
however,  that  there  may  be  some  reference  to  the  beard,  which  was 
regarded  with  almost  religious  reverence  in  the  East.  D'Arvieux 
says,  in  ch.  vii.  of  his  Travels  in  Arabia,  "  One  of  the  principal  cere- 
monies in  important  visits  is  to  throw  some  sweet  water  upon  the 
beard,  and  then  to  perfume  it  with  the  smoke  of  lignum  aloes,  that 
sticks  to  this  moisture  and  gives  it  an  agreeable  smell."  And,  in  tljie 
same  chapter,  "  The  women  kiss  their  husband's  beards,  and  the  chil- 
dren their  father's,  when  they  go  to  salute  them  :  the  men  kiss  one 
another's  reciprocally,  when  they  salute  one  another  in  the  streets,  or 
are  come  from  some  journey." 

14.  His  hands  are  gold  rings.     Tliis  comparison  has  reference  to  the 


THE    CANTICLES.  345 

general  beauty  of  his  hands  and  fingers,  and  the  brilliancy  of  their 
ornaments.  Some  suppose  there  is  a  reference  to  the  nails,  stained 
with  henna,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  Arabians.  (See  the  note 
on  eh.  i.  14.)  —  sapphires.  The  Oriental  sapphire  is  transparent,  of  a 
fine  sky  color,  sometimes  variegated  with  veins  of  a  white  sparry  sub- 
stance, and  distinct,  separate  spots  of  a  gold  color.  Hence  the  prophet 
describes  the  throne  of  God  as  like  sapphire ;  Ezek.  i.  26 ;  x.  1.  Pliny, 
Nat.  Hist,  xxxvii.  9,  says,  "  Coeruleis,  interdum  cum  purpura,  quae  et 
aureis  punctis  coUucent,  ac  coeli  speciem  referunt." 

15.  —  nice  Lebanon.  In  the  manly  dignity  of  his  appearance  he  is 
compared  to  the  beautiful  but  majestic  Lebanon,  with  its  proud  cedars. 
Volney  says,  in  his  description  of  Lebanon  (Travels,  vol.  i.  p.  293), 
"  At  every  step  we  meet  with  scenes  in  which  nature  displays  either 
beauty  or  grandeur."  —  like  the  cedars ;  i.e.,  pre-eminent  among  men 
as  the  cedars  among  the  trees  of  the  forest.  Gabriel  Sionita,  quoted 
by  Dr.  Harris,  in  his  Nat.  Hist,  of  the  Bible,  says,  "  The  cedar  grows 
on  the  most  elevated  part  of  the  mountain,  is  taller  than  the  pine,  and 
so  thick  that  five  men  together  could  scarcely  fathom  one." 

16.  His  mouth ;  literally,  his  palate,  which  many  suppose  to  be  used  as 
the  instrument  of  speech,  as  in  Prov.  viii.  7,  Job  xxxi.  30.  But,  com- 
paring the  word  with  ch.  vii.  9  (10),  it  seems  quite  as  probable  that  it 
is  a  euphemism,  denoting  the  moisture  or  saliva  of  a  kiss.  ( See  Gesen. 
Thes.  on  Tin,  and  the  note  on  ch.  vii.  9.  It  is  the  same  word  as  is 
here  in  the  Common  Version  rendered  mouth,  and,  in  ch.  vii.  9,  roof  of 
his  mouth.) 

Ch.  VI.  4.  Tirzah.  The  word  itself  denotes  pleasantness,  a  name 
given  to  a  city  wliich  was  the  capital  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel  from 
the  time  of  Jeroboam  to  that  of  Omri.  It  was  probably  beautiful  in 
regard  to  its  situation  as  weU  as  its  buildings.  —  as  Jerusalem.  So, 
Lam.  ii.  15,  "  Is  this  the  city  that  men  called  the  perfection  of  beauty, 
the  joy  of  the  whole  earth?  "  —  terrible  as  an  anny,  &c.  (Comp.  ch. 
ii.  4.)  The  loved  one  is  represented  as  conquering,  wounding,  taking 
captive  the  hearts  of  lovers  with  her  eyes,  &c.  The  idea  is  carried 
out  in  the  next  verse.     So  Anacreon,  Ode  ii. :  — 

Tvvai^lv  ovK  er'  elx£v. 

Ti  auv ;  6c6o)Gt  KoXkog 

'Avt'  uamSov  dndocJv, 

'Avr'  ey;^;£(Ji'  aTtavTuv 

N(/fa  <5e  Kal  oidrjpov, 

Kal  TTvp  KaTo]  rig  ovaa. 
15* 


346  NOTES. 

And  again,  Ode  xvi. :  — 

Ov:i(^  CTTTCoc  idkeah  fis, 
Ov  'ire^og,  ovxi  vfjeg' 
^rparbg  61  kcuvoq  a/l^f, 
'A;r'  bfifiuTuv  fj.£  ^uTJmv. 

In  the  same  way,  the  Arabian  poets  compare  the  eyes  of  virgins  to 
swords  and  darts,  their  eyebrows  to  bows,  &c.,  with  which  they  wound 
and  kill.  In  fact,  the  same  representation  is  common  to  all  languages. 
Cupid  is  armed  with  his  bow  and  arrow.  And  yet  Dr.  Good  makes 
the  tasteless  remark,  that  the  epithet  terrible  is  obviously  inappropriate, 
and  gives  the  term  (172 ^&5  the  forced  meaning,  dazzling. 
5-7.  (Seech,  iv.  \-i.) 

8.  — queens,  —  concubines, — maidens.  Solomon  is  said,  in  1  Kings 
xi.  3,  to  have  had  seven  hundred  wives  and  three  hundred  concubines. 
Hence  some  who  regard  this  piece  as  written  by  Solomon,  suppose  it 
to  have  been  written  at  an  earlier  period  of  his  reign  than  that  referred 
to  in  Kings.  Rosenmiiller,  however,  supposes  an  indelinite  use  of 
numbers;  and  this  seems  most  probable. 

9.  —  tJie  one;  i.e.,  the  matchless  one.  For  this  use  of  the  term  riHS!, 
see  Ezek.  vii.  5,  and  Gesen.  Lex.  ad  verb. 

10.  —  like  the  morning.     So  Theocritus,  Idyl,  xviii.  26 :  — 

'Atjf  avTe7jJ)Laa  Ka?MV  diecpaive  TzpoauiTOV, 
HoTvia  vv^  are,  7\£VKbv  lap  ;^;et//(Dvof  avevTog, 
'S2(5e  Koi  b.  xp^oia  'EAeva  ducpaiver'  kv  d,plv. 

—  as  the  moon.     So,  in  Lane's  Arabian  Nights,  vol.  i.  p.  29,  "  "When  I 
beheld  her,  I  thought  that  the  moon  had  descended  to  the  earth." 

12.  —  made  me  like  the  chariots,  &c.  The  meaning  seems  to  be,  that 
her  strong  desire  conveyed  her  thither  as  swift  as  the  chariots,  &c. 

—  of  the  prince's  train.    (See  Gesen.  Thes.  on  Cl?.)     Otherwise,  p/acec? 

me  among  the  chariots  of  my  noble  people. 

13.  Return,  return.  This  seems  to  be  spoken  by  a  chorus  of  women 
■who  regretted  her  speedy  departure.  —  as  upon  a  dance  of  the  hosts  ; 
i.e.,  with  eyes  as  fixed  and  earnest  as  upon  some  very  uncommon 
exhibition  or  spectacle.  This  may  be  the  language  of  one  of  the  com- 
pany. As  to  what  is  meant  by  a  dance  of  the  hosts,  it  is  difficult  to  form 
a  decided  opinion  :  Gesenius,  who  is  followed  by  De  Wette,  supposes 
the  angelic  host  to  be  denoted,  to  whom  dancing  is  ascribed,  as  else- 
where singing.  (Comp.  Gen.  xxxi.  2;  Job  xxxviii.  7.)  Otherwise, 
as  upon  a  dance  of  two  companies;   or,  as  in  a  dance  of  two  companies? 


THE    CANTICLES.  347 

i.e.,  with  such  earnest  eyes  as  dancers  in  two  rows  look  upon  each 
other. 

^  Ch.  VII.  1.  — sandals.  How  important  an  article  of  dress  were 
sandals  to  an  Eastern  lady  is  shown  in  Judith  xvi.  9,  where  we  read 
that  the  sandals  of  Judith  ravished  the  eyes  of  Ilolophernes.  —  jieck 
ornaments;  i.e.,  bosses  or  knobs,  of  which  a  necklace  was  composed. 
She  is  also  represented  as  KaTCki-nvyog . 

2.  —  the  spiced  wine ;  mentioned  merely  to  set  oif  the  beauty  and 
richness  of  the  cup.  —  heap  of  wheat,  &c.  Perhaps  a  heap  of  wheat 
enclosed  with  lilies  was  chosen  as  an  illustration,  not  merely  for  its 
appearance,  but  as  an  emblem  of  fertility.  "  Wheat  and  barley,"  says 
Selden,  "  w^ere,  among  the  ancient  Hebrews,  emblems  of  fertility ;  and 
it  was  usual  for  standers-by  to  scatter  these  grains  upon  the  married 
couple,  with  a  wish  that  they  might  increase  and  multiply."  (Uxor 
Hebraica,  hb.  ii.  cap.  15.)  It  has  been  conjectured,  that  the  heaps  of 
wheat  were,  during  the  joyous  time  of  harvest,  covered  with  flowers, 
especially  with  lilies. 

4.  —  ivory.  So  a  neck  of  ivory,  e?i£<j)avnvoc  rpaxv^C,  is  ascribed 
by  Anacreon  to  Bathyllus,  Ode  xxix.  — pools  at  Heshbon;  i.e.,  moist, 
dark,  and  bright.  Burckhardt  thus  speaks  of  the  remains  of  this  city  : 
"  At  six  hours  and  a  quarter  [from  El  Aal,  probably  the  Elealeh  of 
the  Scriptures]  is  Heshbon,  upon  a  hill  bearing  southwest  from  El  Aal. 
Here  are  the  ruins  of  a  large  ancient  town,  together  with  the  remains 
of  some  edifices  built  with  small  stones ;  a  few  broken  shafts  of  columns 
are  still  standing,  a  number  of  wells  cut  in  the  rock,  and  a  large  reser- 
voir of  water  for  the  summer  supply  of  the  inhabitants."  (Travels, 
p.  365.)  —  tower  of  Lebanon.  The  nose  may  have  been  compared  to 
that  tower  for  its  height,  straightness,  and  good  proportions.  The 
allegorists  suppose  that  the  tower-like  nose  denotes  the  judgment  and 
discernment  of  the  doctors  of  the  Church. 

5.  —  Carmel ;  with  its  beautiful  and  verdant  summit  of  oaks  and 
pines.  (See  the  article  in  Robinson's  Calmet  under  this  word,  with 
its  copious  extracts  from  Oriental  travellers.  Comp.  Isa.  xxxv.  2.) 
—  like  purple.  As  there  can  be  little  doubt  of  the  correctness  of 
this  translation,  I  suppose  the  point  of  comparison  is  the  glossy 
brightness  of  the  locks  rather  than  the  color  of  them.  Black  was  the 
beautiful  color  for  the  hair. 

7.  — palm-tree.  This  tree  received  its  name  'n^Otl  from  its  straight, 
upright  growth.  It  is  one  of  the  loftiest  of  trees,  sometimes  rising  to 
the  height  of  a  hundred  feet.    It  is  one  of  the  most  celebrated  trees 


348  NOTES. 

in  the  world  for  its  beauty  and  its  uses.  — dates;  the  fruit  of  the 
palm-tree  which  grows  in  clusters  below  the  leaves.  (See  Harris's 
Nat.  Hist.,  &c.,  or  Robinson's  Calmet.) 

9.  —  that  goeth  down  smoothly,  &c.  (See  Prov.  xxiii.  31.)  That  the 
maidfm  or  spouse  speaks  here,  takmg  up  the  thread  of  the  discourse,  is 
evident  from  the  fact  that  ^1'i'^,  my  beloved,  which  occurs  often  in  the 
Canticles,  is  always  applied  to  the  man,  never  to  the  maiden.  Other- 
wise, '^liT  must  have  been  brought  into  the  text  from  the  next  verse 
by  mistake.  — Jioicing  over  the  lips,  &c.  So,  in  Lane's  Arabian 
Nights,  vol.  ii.  p.  561,  "  The  moisture  of  his  mouth  is  like  pleasant 
w  ine,  that  would  cool  me  when  a  fire  fiameth  within  me."  Gesenius, 
in  his  Thesaurus  on  the  word  "zy^,  thus  translates  and  comments : 
**  Palatum  tuum  est  instar  vini  dulcis  (significatur  saliva  palati)  recta 
fluens  ad  suavium  meiun,  peireptans  labia  una  dormieniium  (in  eodem  toro 
cubantium).  Vereor  enim  ne  recte  ita  interpretati  sint  Driessenius  in 
Dissert.  Lugd.  p.  1101,  &c.,  et  MichaeUs  in  Suppl.  p.  385,  de  basic 
nimirum  impudico,  neque  magis  hujus  in  vetere  carmine  amatorio 
mentionem  mireris,  quam  paulo  ante  (vii.  8)  explendae  libidinis.  Sali- 
vam  ab  osculantibus  imbibendam  crebris  sermonibus  et  figuris  usur- 
pant  Arabes,  v.  Hug  ad  Cant.  p.  49,  v.  d.  Sloot  ad  Carm.  Togr.  p.  134, 
Ibn  Doreid,  pp.  113,  114,  Scheid.  cf  Saad.  apud  Aben  Esram  ad  Cant. 
i.  2."     (See  also  Rosenmiiller  ad  loc.) 

11.  Come,  my  beloved,  &c.  It  is  doubtful  whether  a  new  piece  com- 
mences here,  or  whether  what  follows  to  ch.  viii.  5,  is  a  part  of  the 
preceding  canticle.  The  passage  reminds  us  of  one  in  Milton,  Par. 
Lost,  iv.  610 :  — 

"  To-morrow,  ere  fresh  morning  streak  the  east 
With  first  approach  of  hght,  we  must  be  risen, 
And  at  our  pleasant  labor,  to  reform 
Yon  fiowery  arbors,  yonder  alleys  green. 
Those  blossoms  also,  and  those  dropping  gums 
That  lie  bestrown,  unsightly  and  unsmooth, 
Ask  riddance." 

13.  —  love-apples.  Such  is  the  etymological  signification  of  the 
word  which  was  given  to  this  fruit  from  its  supposed  properties.  (See 
Gen.  XXX.  14,  &c.)  The  fruit  is  that  of  the  mandragora  {Atropa  man- 
dragora  of  Linnaeus).  Gesenius  thus  describes  the  plant:  "It  has 
large  leaves,  like  those  of  a  beet ;  a  root  like  that  of  a  turnip,  divided 
at  the  lower  part,  and  somewhat  resembling  the  human  form ;  used  in 
the  preparation  of  love-potions,  having  white  and  reddish  blossoms, 
vellow  and  fragrant  apples,  which  may  be  eaten,  about  the  size  of  a 


THE     CANTICLES.  349 

small  egg,  ripening  from  May  to  July,  and  to  which  the  Orientals  in 
ancient  and  modern  times  ascribe  an  efficacy  in  increasing  philopro- 
genitiveness  and  fruitfulness."  (See  Gesen.  Thesaurus  on  the  word 
'^l^'l,  and  the  numerous  authorities,  ancient  and  modern,  to  which  he 
refers.  See  also  Harris's  Nat.  Hist,  and  Robinson's  Calmet.)  —  kept 
them  for  thee,  &c.     So  Virgil,  Eel.  i.  37  :  — 

"  Mirabar,  quid,  moesta,  deos,  Amarylli,  vocares, 
Cui  pendere  sua  patereris  in  arbore  poma. 
Tityrus  hinc  aberat." 

Ch.  VIII.  1,  — as  my  brother;  i.e.,  as  a  little  infant  child,  whom 
she  might  caress  in  public  as  well  as  in  private  without  impropriety. 

2.  —  teach  me;  i.e.,  how  to  please  thee,  (S:c. 

5.  Who  is  this,  &c.  This  is  probably  the  language  of  the  poet ; 
or  it  may  be  supposed  to  be  the  language  of  a  choir.  — from  the 
wilderness ;  i.e.,  the  country,  in  distinction  from  the  city.  —  /  excited 
thy  love;  i.e.,  inspired  thee  with  affection  to  me.  This  took  place 
mider  the  apple-tree,  which  has  been  regarded  as  peculiarly  the  tree 
of  lore.  The  following  is  the  note  of  Rosenmiiller :  "  Cydoniam 
malum  apud  alios  quoque  populos  amoribus  dicatam  fuisse,  observat 
Celsius,  Hierohot.,  p.  i.  p.  263.  *  Apud  ^gyptios  connubii  symbolum 
fuit.  TAvylrjq  avii6olov  Tra^iT^f,  Ve7ieris  jugce  tesseram,  appellat  Arabicus 
in  Epigrammate.  Nempe  Veneri,  ut  Dearum  formosissimae,  a  Paride 
addictum  fuit.  Venus  igitur  in  statuis  cydonium  dextra  gerit.  Cupi" 
dines  ex  hortis  malorum  primitias  legunt,  illisque  ludunt.  01  filv  yap 
6ui  Tov  [itjTmv  irai^ovTeg  nodov  upxovrac,  nam  qui  porno  ludunt,  amoris  initium 
faciunt,  dicit  Philostratus,  Icon.  1.  i.  p.  738.  Hinc  to  nrjlo6o'kdv ,  mails 
petere,  malum  mittere,  malum  dare,  loquutiones  frequentes  apud  Greecos 
et  Romanes.  Vid.  Theoc,  Idyll,  iii.  10,  v.  88,  vi.  6;  Virg.,  Eel.  iii. 
64,  Aristophanis  Scholiastes  Nub.  p.  180.  Mr/XoSoTielv  ekeyov  to  elg 
cK^podiaia  deTieu^eiv,  eKcl  Kai  to  fi^Tiov  ^A<ppo6iT7]g  eotIv  lepov  malis  petere 
dicebant  ad  venei'ca  incitare,  quippe  mains  Veneri  est  dicata.' "  —  brought 
thee  forth,  &c.  So  the  Sept.  udlvrjGe  as.  The  meaning  seems  to  be 
explained  by  the  opinion  referred  to  in  the  preceding  note,  namely, 
that  the  apple-tree  is  the  tree  of  love.  Thus  the  birth  of  the  lover 
under  the  apple-tree  would  indicate  his  power  of  gaining  the  love  of 
women.  So  Apollo  is  represented  as  born  under  a  palm-tree.  Some 
suppose  that  'nn^^H  may  be  rendered  pledged  thee.  Tliis  would  re- 
move a  difficulty,  but  it  does  not  seem  to  be  supported  by  Hebrew 
usage.    (See  Gesenius  on  ^^ri.) 


350  NOTES. 

6.  —  set  me  as  a  seal,  &c.  This  denotes  intimate,  inviolable  union. 
Tims,  in  Jer.  xxii.  24  :  — 

"  As  I  live,  saith  Jehovah, 
Thou  Coniah,  sou  of  Jehoiakim,  king  of  Judah, 
Though  thou  wert  the  signet  upon  my  right  hand^ 
Even  thence  would  I  pluck  thee." 

Signet  rings  were  worn  by  the  Orientals  not  only  upon  the  fingers,  but 
on  the  bosom,  suspended  by  an  ornamental  chain  from  the  neck,  &c. 
(See  Rosenmiil.  Alt.  und  Xeues  Morgenl.,  i.  p.  183,  and  iv.  p.  190. 
—  true  love ;  HS^-p,  rendered  jealousy  in  the  Common  Version,  denotes 
any  ardent  feeling.  (See  Gesen.  ad  verb.)  It  is  evident  from  the 
parallelism  and  from  the  connection,  that  it  is  here  used  simply  as  an 
intensive  term  for  love  in  the  preceding  line.  Love  is  strong,  like 
death,  inasmuch  as  it  conquers  all;  and  it  is  firm,  Uke  the  grave, 
which  never  relaxes  its  hold  on  its  tenants. 

7.  Many  waters,  &c.  Love  is  compared  to  fire  in  the  preceding 
verse.  In  accordance  with  this,  it  is  added  that  water  cannot  quench 
it.  — for  love ;  i.e.,  to  induce  one  to  give  up  the  love  she  has  for  a 
particular  person,  and  transfer  it  to  anotlier. 

8-12.  The  subject  of  tliis  little  piece  seems  to  be  a  conversation 
between  two  worldly-wise  brothers,  relating  to  the  marriage  of  tlieir 
sister,  together  with  her  remarks.  That  the  guardianship  of  females 
in  regard  to  marriage  belonged  to  their  brothers,  in  the  East,  in  ancient 
times,  may  be  inferred  from  Gen.  xxiv.  50,  xxxiv.  13  ;  Judges  xxi.  22. 

8.  — spoken  for ;  i.e.,  asked  in  marriage. 

9.  If  she  be  a  ivall ;  i.e.,  if  she  be  inaccessible,  unwilling  to  receive 
suitors,  or  to  be  married.  —  a  silver  tower.  Rosenmiiller  supposes  the 
meaning  to  be,  "  we  will  ask  a  high  dowry  for  her."  That  portions 
were  paid,  in  tlie  East,  to  the  father  for  the  daughter,  is  well  known. 
Thus,  Jacob  served  seven  years  for  each  of  his  wives.  So  it  is  in 
modern  times.  "  They  bargain,"  says  D'Arvieux,  "  about  the  price 
of  the  daugliter,  wliich  the  son-in-law  is  to  pay  his  new  father  in 
camels,  sheep,  or  horses.  A  young  fellow  that  has  a  mind  to  marry 
must  in  good  earnest  buy  him  a  wife ;  and  fathers  among  the  Arabs 
are  never  happier  than  when  they  have  abundance  of  daughters. 
They  are  tlie  principal  riches  in  a  family :  accordingly,  when  a  bach- 
elor is  treating  witli  the  person  whose  daughter  he  is  desirous  of 
marrying,  he  says  to  him,  '  Will  you  give  me  your  daughter  for  fifty 
sheep,  for  half  a  dozen  camels,  or  for  a  dozen  cows  ? '  &c.  If  he  is 
not  in  circumstances  for  making  such  offers  as  these,  he  proposes  to 


THE    CANTICLES.  351 

him  to  give  him  her  for  a  mare  or  colt,  all,  in  short,  according  to  the 
girl's  merit,  the  condition  of  her  family,  and  tlie  income  of  the  in- 
tended bridegroom.  (Travels,  p.  230,  English  translation.)  But  per- 
haps the  meaning  of  building  a  silver  tower  upon  the  wall  may  be  simply, 
that  the  brothers  would  adorn  the  sister  with  silver,  in  reward  for  her 
modesty.  —  an  open  gate ;  i.e.,  very  desirous  of  being  married,  and 
give  a  very  ready  reception  to  a  suitor.  —  with  planks  of  cedar ;  i.e., 
we  will  take  care  to  keep  her  in  strict  confinement,  so  that  access  to 
her  shall  be  difficult. 

10.  —  am  I  become  in  his  eyes,  &c.  The  idea  of  the  sister  seems  to 
be,  that,  by  modesty  and  difficulty  of  access  to  others,  she  shall  the 
more  surely  win  the  favor  of  her  accepted  suitor.  Perhaps  the  expres- 
sion, as  one  that  Jindeth  peace,  may  be  a  continuation  of  the  preceding 
metaphor,  the  suitor  being  the  besieger  of  the  wall  and  tcwers. 

11.  Solomon  had  a  vineyard,  &c.  The  vineyard  of  Solomon,  from 
which  he  received  a  great  income,  seems  to  be  brought  in  simply  by 
way  of  contrast  to  that  which  the  sister  regarded  as  her  own  vine- 
yard, namely,  her  beauty  or  her  person  (comp.  ch.  i.  6) ;  and  to 
express  the  idea,  that  Solomon  was  welcome  to  his  income,  but  that 
from  her  vineyard  she  did  not  wish  for  a  pecuniary  income.  She 
would  give  her  love  for  love,  not  for  money. 

12.  My  vineyard  is  before  my  eyes ;  i.e.,  I  will  not  let  it  out  to  others, 
but  keep  in  under  my  own  inspection  and  care. 

13,  14.  These  two  verses  seem  to  form  a  fragment.  So  far  as  any 
general  meaning  is  conveyed  by  them,  it  seems  to  be,  that  a  lover 
desires  a  song  of  his  mistress,  but  is  refused  and  sent  away. 

13.  Friends,  &c. ;  i.e.,  my  friends  who  are  with  me  wait  to  hear  thy 
voice.     Otherwise,  thy  friends  constantly  hear  it;  let  me  hear  it  too. 


THE    END. 


BS195.2.N931868 

A  new  translation  of  Job,  Ecclesiastes 

lllS  Mil  iSm  Ir?,?'  S^'^'nary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00049  2704 


■.  '.x'/^J  {.^  \V\ 


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